Clara and Emily : Stateside
by ClaraAndMeAIT
Summary: This follows on directly from 'Clara and Emily : Chance Meeting'. Emily has been selected for a twelve week exchange programme at the University of Chicago, after an emotional last meeting. Clara has travelled in the TARDIS to meet her, not realising that it has been two weeks since she arrived. Meanwhile, the Doctor is frustrated that someone else has captured Clara's attention.
1. Chapter 1

Emily unlocked the door to her dormitory room to find the lights already on. She walked in cautiously, until she saw Clara stood in her room by the window, wearing the same black leather jacket she'd last seen her in. What the fuck was happening? How was she here? Right here in her room waiting for her? How had she even got in?

"What the fuck-" Emily said loudly, reacting to seeing her unexpectedly. She laughed out loud.

"You know," said Clara, looking out of the window, replacing the curtain, turning around to look at her. "I don't think we finished our conversation earlier."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" said Emily, immediately feeling a wave of shock travel through her body. "How is this even possible?"

"I kind of... borrowed a time machine," Clara smiled at her. "As you do."

"So you just thought you'd turn up in my room?" said Emily. "When I haven't heard a single thing from you..." Emily paused, "for the past two weeks?"

"I am absolutely going to kill him," said Clara, shaking her head, the colour draining from her face. "I'm so sorry, he told me it was the same day."

"I haven't heard from you for two fucking weeks," said Emily loudly, she then continued quietly, "I thought you were ignoring me after last time."

"Oh god, no," Clara said, walking towards her, "no, no, no, no, I really wasn't." She tried to put her hand on Emily's arm, she shrugged it off.

"Really?" said Emily, half sarcastically. "When was the last time you saw me?" She folded her arms.

"Yesterday morning when I dropped you off outside your place-" said Clara. It was clear she was being liberal with the truth. Her hair was noticeably longer and although she couldn't be 100% sure in the light, she definitely had the hint of a tan.

"Are you fucking lying to me?" said Emily, her eyes were beginning to sting a little.

"No, I'm not." Her eyes said otherwise.

Emily thought for a moment. "How long ago was yesterday?" she said, deferently.

"Ok," Clara sighed. "Look, I would have told you."

"Told me what?" Emily said, feeling her chin beginning to crease. She looked up to the ceiling.

"I've been... away," Clara said, nodding her head, aiming her large brown eyes in Emily's direction.

"How long?" asked Emily feeling a tear well up in the corner of her right eye. She wiped it with the corner of her sleeve.

"Eight weeks," said Clara, quietly.

"Eight weeks," Emily repeated. "Where have you been... for eight... fucking... weeks?" She just about managed to fight back tears.

"It was only supposed to be a day out to some planet," said Clara, "the Doctor and I ended up trapped in a network of sapphire caves-"

"A network of sapphire caves," Emily repeated blankly, before laughing out loud. "Really, you expect me to believe that?"

"Yes. We'd have been absolutely fine if the Doctor insulted some high priest and made him throw us down a well, into said network of sapphire caves. It was not nice."

"You have a time machine and you let me sit here for two weeks thinking you've dropped off the face of the earth?" Emily said, feeling a tear running down her face slowly. "Thanks." She stood with her back to Clara, looking out of the window.

"Do you want me to go back?" asked Clara, "because I will."

"No," said Emily sternly. She turned to look at Clara, her eyes beginning to redden, upset. "You can't just go back and change stuff."

"Then tell me what I can do," said Clara, looking down at her hands. "I'm sorry, ok?" Clara sat down on the bed and dabbed a finger in the corner of her eye, aiming her gaze towards the ceiling.

Emily sighed. She felt angry, annoyed and upset. She put her right palm and forehead on the window pane, trying to subside her tears. "It's late," she said noticing the time was almost midnight, "I think... you should come back tomorrow," she said quietly, not sure if it was because she was too angry or whether she didn't want Clara to see her like this.

"Ok," said Clara, nodding, standing up and straightening out her leather trench coat. "I understand. I honestly didn't realise it had been that long, you have to believe me."

"Tell me tomorrow," said Emily turning to lean backwards onto the window, avoiding her glances.

"When? Where should I meet you?" Clara said, standing a few paces away from her, thankfully having the good sense to not attempt anything else. There was a small part of her that wanted to kiss her, despite how upset she was.

"I'll message you," Emily said. "I'm presuming your phone is working now?"

"Yes," Clara said quietly, nodding. "Ok," she said resigned, turning around and walking towards the front door. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Emily made no attempt to move from the window, letting Clara leave through the door without stopping her, noticing out of the corner of her eye that she paused to look back at her before exiting.

Emily moved herself off the window, sitting on the bed where Clara had been sat moments ago. She lied down, cuddling one of the extra pillows on the single bed, upset, she'd had a few drinks already that probably wasn't helping. She sobbed quietly to herself as she fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Clara closed Emily's door behind her and turned to put her forehead heavily below the spy hole. She banged her head lightly on the door several times, feeling tears sting her eyes. She considered knocking, wanting to apologise again, but thought better of it. Instead dabbing the moisture in the corner of her eyes with her right index finger. She was upset, angry and annoyed.

She walked down the corridor slowly, finding the communal stairs and venturing outside to return to the TARDIS. The cool evening breeze hit her, as the streetlights punctured the expanse of black in the sky. She looked back towards Emily's window, visible from this side, the light was still on, curtains open. She almost turned back around but stopped herself.

Clara opened the door to the TARDIS, disappearing inside.

"What are you doing back already?" said the Doctor as she shut the door, still tinkering on the lower levels. He stopped what he was doing and walked up to meet her. "Judging by your previous form I wasn't expecting you back until at least Sunday," he laughed to himself. "You appear to have set a new personal best."

Clara stormed loudly across the floor and pushed him aggressively in the chest, almost catching him off balance.

"Don't you dare, don't you even dare," shouted Clara, tears brewing in her eyes. "Did you know?" She pushed the Doctor in the chest again, almost causing him to fall down the stairs. "You... you..." she wanted to say the word 'bastard' but couldn't quite get it out, "I hate you sometimes."

"What are you talking about?" said the Doctor, brushing himself down. "Why are you so..." he pointed at her face, "eyey and upset and loud?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said increasing her volume, "maybe the fact you dropped me off two weeks late." She stood a foot away from him, pushing him in the chest again, although this time there was no effort behind it.

"Oh," he said, "that." He smiled widely at her.

"So you knew?" she shouted, "I do not believe this." She turned around and folded her arms.

"The last trip drained the batteries, looks like we're stuck in here in the Windy City for as long as she takes to recover. Although having been outside I'd say it was only mildly breezy, not that windy."

"Two weeks late Doctor," spat Clara.

"I didn't think you or Bitey would notice," he said.

"Well, she did," said Clara loudly. "Funnily enough she noticed I disappeared off the face of the earth for two weeks."

"I told you she was good," said the Doctor, "at breakfast."

"That was nine weeks ago!" She snapped. "I haven't seen her for eight weeks after you insulted that high Priest, it is the only thing that has been keeping me going..." said Clara, "and now she hates me. So thank you very much."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you," said the Doctor. "Do you want me to go and speak to her?"

"Dear god no," said Clara, "don't even think about doing that." She moved towards the corridor to find her bedroom. "I'm going to see her tomorrow, so now instead of the night of sex that I had planned, I am going to spend the night alone in my bed here upset."

"Come on Clara, don't be like that," he said, going to follow her.

"Don't, Doctor. I am angry, I am upset, I am on the verge of crying... These are all things that I should not be. I am in no emotional state to be anything else tonight," she said. "You could have at least told me!" She felt another surge of anger build up. "She thinks I've ignored her for two weeks!" Clara shouted, walking back towards the central console, pointing herself at the Doctor.

"I'm sure-" the Doctor started, trying to edge away.

"We are at quite a... delicate stage," Clara said loudly, "and this is the last thing I need."

"Look on the bright side," the Doctor smiled, still backing away, "we're stuck here now, think of this as a free holiday!"

"A free holiday?" snapped Clara. "We have a time machine, I've been on free holidays for the last four years!"

"I have a time machine," the Doctor retorted.

"Oh, so I'm just here making up the numbers am I?' Clara shouted back, "well that's just great."

"No, you're not," the Doctor sighed. "All I was saying was we're stuck here for a bit, so let's make the most of it, eh?"

Clara groaned loudly. "Fine," she said. She stalked back towards the corridor, going in search of her bedroom, grateful that the TARDIS hadn't hidden it as she wasn't in the mood to play games.

She slammed the door behind her, kicked her shoes off, threw her coat on the floor and sunk onto the bed, cuddling a pillow.

After a while of feeling sorry for herself, she fished her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans, wanting to compose a message.

She quickly wrote a simple message.

: I'm sorry. Please let me make it up to you. X

She debated the 'X' on the end for several minutes. She hovered her finger over the send button before deleting the message, figuring she would let Emily decide what she wanted to do.

Clara set her phone on the bedside table, covered herself with the duvet and hugged the pillow again, as a single tear trickled down the side of her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Clara woke the next morning fully clothed, in her bedroom in the TARDIS. She hadn't slept well, her mind overthinking every possible scenario that could happen with Emily.

She stretched out and checked her phone, there were no messages. It was 10.30. She decided to get up and get changed, though her anger had subsided, she was still upset on the verge of having a tear run down her face.

Clara emerged out into the TARDIS console room an hour later to find the Doctor reading a book on the balcony level. She stepped up the stairs to see him reclining in the leather gentleman's chair, reading the Da Vinci Code.

"Ahhh Clara, there you are," he said. "You know, Leonardo never told me he did any of this stuff when I met him," mused the Doctor. "I've already figured it out, waiting to see how long Robert takes to crack the case," he laughed lightly.

"Maybe Leonardo didn't tell you because... it's a work of fiction," Clara said, lifting up the cover, "very easy to read isn't it? I think I finished it in a day."

"You've read this?" said the Doctor.

"Yes, only me and every other person in the world," Clara laughed.

"Oh," the Doctor said. "It can't be impressive if I know you've already finished it." He threw it on the nearby table.

"I'm an English teacher, books are kind of, you know, my thing," Clara said.

"You could have fooled me-" the Doctor started.

"Stop," Clara said, interrupting him. She sat lengthways on one of the steps, back against the bannister. She crossed her legs, and looked away.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting up, adjusting his shirt cuffs. "I see your eyes have calmed down, they are an interesting red hue but at least they are... inactive."

"I'm OK," Clara said, playing with the front hem of her denim shirt.

"Must you be so vague with your answers?" he got up and stepped over her legs on the step. "And do you have to be so... mopey?"

"Mopey?" said Clara. "I am not... mopey."

"Yes you are, you're moping, vis a vis you are mopey," he said. "Can you please go and sort whatever little disagreement you've had with Bitey out so you can stop acting like a teenager in the seventies after the Beatles split up."

"How old do you think I am?! I was much more of a Take That girl, actually," laughed Clara.

"So go, go on," he shooed her off, "go and relight some fires," he said.

"Take That in-joke," Clara smiled, "like it."

"Just go and talk or argue or cry or... have make up procreation-"

"No matter how many times you call it that, me and Emily cannot procreate," said Clara, "it is impossible."

"You are the impossible girl," he mused, looking away.

"Not so impossible I can become pregnant from sex... with a woman," Clara said sarcastically.

There was a knock on the TARDIS door. The Doctor strolled off in the direction, opening the door inwards. He looked around before aiming his head down.

"Oh, umm, hello Bitey," he said, loudly, directed at Clara. "We were just talking about you."

Clara straightened herself on the step to look out the door. She put her hands to brush down her thighs.

"Is she here?" Emily said.

"I'm going to need you to be a lot more specific than than that," he said, "to whom are you referring?"

"Clara, I need to see her," Emily said, "thanks."

"Why are your eyes the same colour as hers?" the Doctor said to Emily. He stood aside to let her in, sighing heavily. "I'm not sure I can't deal with two of you being mopey." He shut the door loudly.

Clara stayed put on the step, watching Emily look around, come up to her and sit to her left a few feet away. The Doctor returned to the central console.

"I was going to message you but when I saw this thing parked up from my window I figured this would be easier," Emily said quietly, not looking at her.

"Hang on," Clara said quietly. "Doctor," she said loudly.

"Yes?" he said, distracted.

"Can you leave us for a bit?" she said, "go and find something to do in the library or something."

"Ok," he said, pottering off in that direction.

"Huh," said Clara, impressed, "that was easy."

After a minute they both started to say something at the same time. Clara stopped to let Emily speak.

"I am still very upset," Emily said.

"I know," said Clara. "I'm sorry," she picked a few pieces of fluff off her black skinny jeans.

"It's just two weeks, I thought you weren't speaking to me after last time," said Emily, chipping bits off her nail varnish, distracted.

"No," said Clara, turning to face her, swivelling on the step. "Of course not."

"That's what it fucking felt like," Emily said, not moving.

"I've spent eight weeks trying to escape from some caves so that I could come back and see you," said Clara, looking for a reaction, "not that that matters in the general scheme of things obviously."

Emily sighed loudly, "I could tell you know."

"You could?" Clara said, surprised.

"The hair, it's a dead giveaway," said Emily, flatly. "And the tan."

"I don't suppose I can explain it away with the fact my hair grows really quickly and that I had a sunbed?" said Clara, half joking.

"Is that what you normally do?" asked Emily, still attacking her nail varnish.

"Not really had to explain myself to anyone for a while," Clara laughed lightly, "I must be losing my touch."

"Well I noticed straight away," said Emily, still looking down.

"Ok then," said Clara.

"I just don't want to be fucked around," said Emily. "I am not sure I can deal with that."

"Oh no, no, no," said Clara reaching for her arm, "I am not like that, please believe me. Admittedly, yes, my time stream is a bit messed up, and I do have a habit of disappearing for large amounts of time, but the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you."

Emily lowered her head, moving her hand to rest on Clara's gently. "I honestly thought I'd scared you off."

"No, you haven't," Clara said, shaking her head, "I was just... two weeks late."

"An acceptable amount of late is half an hour, maybe a day at maximum," said Emily, still not looking at her. "Not two fucking weeks, OK?"

"Understood," said Clara. She felt Emily's thumb stroke her right hand gently. "I've missed you," she said quietly.

Emily turned around to look into Clara's eyes. "Same," she said. "I wish I wasn't like this though," she tried to avert her eyes.

"It's fine, really," Clara moved her hand off Emily's arm and moved it to her cheek, brushing it with her thumb gently. "I promise I will make it up to you, just tell me what to do, and I will do it."

"Well you can start..." said Emily, "with breakfast."

"Don't even ask," Clara said, pulling away, smiling softly. "Where?"

"There's a diner around the corner," Emily said. "And you're paying."

"An... American Diner?" Clara said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," said Emily, confused.

"Awesome." Clara smiled.

"So," the Doctor said loudly behind, making them both jump unexpectedly.

"For fuck's sake-" Emily started.

"Doctor!" said Clara.

"Now you two have made up," he said, walking past between them, down the stairs. "Did I miss the kissing? Aren't you supposed to do that before you make up? The phrase isn't make up and breakfast, is it? I was not notified of that change."

Clara rolled her eyes. "No you didn't, yes it and no."

"I thought I left it long enough, maybe my setting needs calibrating..." he smiled at them. "So when are we leaving? Have I got time to get my special straw? The one that makes the drinks extra fizzy?"

"Err, what are you talking about?" said Clara.

"The straw, Clara? We had it when I took you to the moons of Jupiter, remember? I also had it when River slapped-" the Doctor reeled off.

"I know what straw you mean, Doctor," Clara sighed.

"Oh you mean, about breakfast? Add that to the list of things that I said I didn't like, like hugging, bantering, unicorns, ghosts and the like that I actually like, like now," he smiled at her. "And besides, I thought you were paying."

"Who invited you?" Clara said.

"I was in earshot when Bitey-"

"Emily," Emily said loudly, "how many times do I have to fucking tell him?" she said under her breath to Clara.

"-suggested breakfast, hence I believed the invitation applied to me," he said.

"OK," she stood up, making her way towards the Doctor, counting on her fingers, "so, a, it definitely was not an invitation, it was a demand, or a convenient free meal, at very very best, and b, if it was an invitation, which of course, as point a has already covered, it was not, it is certainly not being extended to you," she paused for breath, "and c, I really, really do not think you are going to add to or gain anything from the highly uncomfortable conversation and grovelling apology about the fact I was effectively AWOL for two weeks that is about to be had between me and her." She breathed out, loudly.

"Yeah, OK, but they do those pancakes with the little berries in them..." the Doctor said, "I like them."

"You're not coming," Clara said directly.

"But I love a Diner, there's this great one in Utah..." sighed the Doctor.

"Then go there, I don't care," she snapped loudly. "Emily," she said at a normal volume, "come on, let's go." Emily got up and stepped towards the door. Clara opened it and held it for her to go through first.

Clara shut the door slightly to prevent Emily from hearing her final outburst. "If you even think of," she counted on her fingers as she made each point, "following us, surprising us, sitting near us, looking through the front window, ordering takeaway, using your sunglasses to find us, turning up in Emily's room," she thought, needing three more points to complete a set of ten, "pretending there is some existential crisis, ummm, getting a spaceman to walk out from the kitchen... oh forget it, leave me alone, this is something I need to sort out myself, OK?" She said pleading with him.

"Can you at least bring me some of those pancakes back?" he said.

"I'll think about it," she went to go, before shouting back, "umm... no!" She slammed the door shut behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

Clara slammed the door behind her and saw Emily waiting for her, arms folded, looking away.

"Sorry about that," Clara said, pulling on her leather jacket. "I have to tell him to not follow me, other wise, you know, he will."

"I heard," said Emily, half smiling. "Existential crisis?" she raised an eyebrow, "what the fuck is that?"

"I really don't know," Clara sighed, straightening her collar and picking at her hair, "I just tend to spout this sort of stuff out once I'm on a roll, you know?" Clara went to stand next to her, "so where am I taking you? It's just, I have no idea where we're going, so..."

"This way," Emily strode off, lighting a cigarette, leaving her to catch up.

"So how's your course going?" said Clara, testing the water. "Enjoying it?"

"Yeah, I guess," said Emily, noncommital, "the facilities here are excellent, it's good." She blew out smoke.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," Clara said awkwardly, she lowered her head and sighed to herself. "You are not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"No, of course I'm fucking not," snapped Emily, taking a drag on her cigarette, "you left me without a word for two weeks, how would you feel if that was me doing that to you?" She folded her arms and continued walking through a built up recreation area.

Clara paused for a minute, thinking of when the Doctor had left her for weeks on end without so much as a word. "I'd be very angry, and upset, hurt, pissed off... wondering if it was worth it..."

"Really?" said Emily, sarcastically. "I'm glad you can grasp how I'm feeling."

"I just want to make it up to you," said Clara. "I just don't know if I can. I know exactly how this feels, trust me, I do, and it is unbearable."

"It is unbearable," nodded Emily. "It has been unbearable."

"I'm sorry, I don't know how many more times I can say that to you before you understand," Clara said, louder than she intended.

"I haven't done anything wrong," said Emily, pausing to inhale her cigarette and then blew it out, "you can apologise all you like."

"This is not a good idea, is it?" said Clara, stopping walking. "We are just going to end up spitting venom at each other, aren't we?"

Emily stopped a few paces ahead of her to stub out her cigarette and throw it away. She didn't turn around, "so that's it, is it?"

"What?" said Clara.

"You're just going to walk away, are you?" said Emily, turning to face her, six feet away.

"Of course not," said Clara, "that is the last thing I want to do."

"So?" said Emily.

"We're both upset, maybe this is not the best time to do this," Clara folded her arms and looked to the ground quickly.

"The longer this drags on the worse it is going to be for both of us," said Emily. "Make a fucking decision. Are you coming with me or are you walking away?"

"I'm not walking away," Clara shouted.

"Good," snapped Emily.

They looked at each other for thirty seconds, arms folded, trying to read each other's facial expressions. Clara initially was trying to convey anger, but then knew she only wanted to do one thing, kiss her. Emily's features were unreadable other than the fact she was angry, but they were beginning to twist into something different.

"So are you just going to fucking stand there, or what?" said Emily, still stood with her arms folded.

Clara moved towards Emily cautiously, tightening her folded arms, creasing her eyebrows, tilting her head. Emily stayed put, watching her approach. Clara got within a foot of Emily and reached out for her waist, grabbing the pockets of her grey coat and pulling them towards her. She went to kiss Emily gently on the cheek before pulling away.

"Hang on," said Clara, "have we just agreed to something?"

"I think so," said Emily, unexpectedly kissing Clara on the lips. It was an urgent angry kiss, conveying two weeks worth of missed contact, and eight weeks worth of waiting. Clara wasn't quite sure how long they had been there for when she pulled away to wipe away a single tear that had escaped from the side her left eye with her left index finger.

"You really are angry with me," said Clara, letting out a small laugh, "aren't you?"

"Yes," nodded Emily, using the right sleeve of her coat to wipe away several large tears away from her face, smudging her makeup.

"I hate..." said Clara, wiping away a stray dot of mascara from Emily's face with her thumb. "I didn't think I could feel any worse, but now I do."

"Fuck's sake," said Emily, looking to the sky, "I said I wouldn't do this."

"Do what?" said Clara, dabbing her eye with the corner of her palm.

"Any of... this," she said, eyes still upwards, "I told you I don't want to be fucked about."

"I am really trying not to." Clara went in to hug her tightly, resting her face into Emily's neck. She wiped away another tear, "I need tissues," she sighed.

"Me too," said Emily, laughing sadly. "Katie is going to fucking kill me."

"Katie... your sister?" said Clara.

"She told me to tell you to fuck off," Emily laughed once as they stood hugging still. She sniffed quietly.

"Should I be expecting a visit any time soon?" Clara asked, smiling.

"I wouldn't bet against it," Emily said, smirking.

"What do we do now?" said Clara, moving away from her. "I need to sort my face out." She wiped away another stray tear, "I don't usually cry like this," she lied. She cried most outings with the Doctor, but this was different.

Emily nodded silently to herself, taking Clara's hand in hers began walking back in the direction they had come.

"I guess breakfast is a bust then?" Clara asked.

"Yeah," said Emily.


	5. Chapter 5

Clara jogged a few steps to draw level with Emily as they retraced their steps hand in hand back towards the TARDIS. She hoped she was reading the signals right and they were heading back to Emily's room rather than dropping her off where they'd met in a fit of anger.

They reached the grassy area and the pathway that lead towards Emily's block, passing the TARDIS on their left.

The TARDIS opened and the Doctor came running out, flying straight past about ten feet in front, heading towards the block nearest to them. He held something small in his right hand that Clara didn't recognise.

"What the fuck is he doing?" asked Emily, turning briefly to look.

Clara sighed, "I honestly don't know." They continued walking together to Emily's block. "It's not important right now, though, is it?" She half smiled.

"No," agreed Emily, squeezing her right hand tightly, fishing out some keys from her front pocket as they approached the door.

"What are you two doing here?" said the Doctor behind them as Emily held up an electronic key fob to the lock. "I thought breakfast was," he spun around a couple of times and then pointed in the direction they had been going, "that way?"

Emily groaned loudly, letting go of Clara's hand she disappeared inside up the stairs out of view without a word. He looked perplexed.

"Well, that's not very friendly, is it?" observed the Doctor. "After she invited me out for breakfast earlier?"

"Doctor," Clara said slowly. "Please go, right now. I will not tell you again." She shut the door loudly, leaving him outside.

"Clara!" he said through the door, knocking. "I've found something!"

She ignored him and went up the two flights of stairs where she found Emily waiting for her on the landing, tapping her fingers gently on the bannister. "Come on," she said, holding out her left hand to Clara, she grasped it with her right, interlinking her fingers.

They walked silently to Emily's room, not looking at each other. Emily unlocked the door with a loud clunk and went inside, leaving it open for Clara to follow her as she moved away.

Clara leant back against the door for a minute, trying to read Emily's mood. She felt on a knife edge, not knowing whether they were about to have a full on argument or urgent angry sex. She wasn't sure if she wanted either of those things, let alone one of them.

"Are you coming in or are you just going to prop up the door all fucking afternoon?" said Emily, taking off her coat and throwing it onto the side. She paced to the window and stood with her back to it, leaving a space of twenty feet between them, back lit by the daylight outside.

Clara froze, there was a part of her that wanted to turn around and go back out the door to avoid this situation completely. She lowered her head, standing up off the door reluctantly, nodding to herself.

"OK," Clara said quietly, putting her hands in her jacket pockets.

Emily folded her arms and looked at her. "You do not do well in awkward situations, do you?"

Clara shook her head, lifting her head to look at Emily. "No, I don't. I hate this."

"Hate what?" said Emily.

"This," she pointed around her, "the not knowing, the uncertainty, the fact you hate me-"

"I don't hate you," interrupted Emily, sighing. "Come on."

"-that I can't explain this away like I normally do," Clara continued. "There's a part of me that wants to run, because that's what I always do."

"So why don't you?" Emily looked at her.

"Because I don't want to," Clara said, "I want to be here with you..." she paused, "just not like this. And I can't run, the TARDIS is broken or recharging or something, so I'm kinda stuck here."

"Really?" said Emily, half sarcastically.

"Yes," Clara answered flatly.

"You already made up your mind about walking away when you decided to come back here," said Emily.

"Yes," said Clara. "Yes I did."

"So?" asked Emily. "What's the issue?"

"I don't want to argue," said Clara.

"Ok," said Emily, "well, we're not. I've seen you having an argument, remember, and this... isn't it," she laughed. "And you're pretty good at it from what I recall."

"I am, aren't I?" said Clara, raising a half smile. "I don't want to do that with you, that's all."

"You don't like not being in control, do you?" smirked Emily, "that's what this is, isn't it?"

"What?" Clara said loudly. "No!"

"You only like an argument if you are the one in the who is arguing the point," Emily laughed, "it all makes sense now."

Clara sighed loudly. "No," she lied.

"And I bet this," Emily paused, pointing around, "is killing you," she said.

Clara resigned, nodding. "Yes," she whispered.

"For fuck's sake, get over yourself," Emily said, with a hint of laughter.

"I'm sorry?" said Clara.

"Get over yourself," Emily repeated, not moving from the window. She was making it very difficult for Clara to be passive. "

Clara glared at her, wanting to be angry but finding herself unable to rise to it. She paced slowly towards Emily, arms folded tight, looking down at the floor until she got within a couple of feet of reaching her.

"I don't hate you, you know," Emily said. "Please don't think that."

"I know, I know," said Clara, pausing.

"If you-" Emily stopped herself, "if... we are going to do this, you're going to have to learn to put up with all this sort of shit," she said dismissively. "Especially if you are going to disappear for weeks on end without telling me," she smirked.

"I'm sorry," Clara said.

"Just kiss me," Emily requested, remaining still.

Clara moved a pace forwards, putting her right hand gently onto Emily's cheek, brushing it with her thumb. Her eyes flicked between Emily's facial features, gaze resting on her lips for a few moments. Clara closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss her, hesitating once and then finding Emily's lips against her own, soft and warm.

Clara put her left hand around Emily's waist cautiously, keeping her right hand on Emily's cheek. She moved away as she didn't feel Emily kissing back.

"Is that it?" asked Emily, raising an eyebrow. "You're in my room, you've not seen me for eight weeks and that's how you kiss me? I can still throw you out, you know," she joked.

Clara laughed once, before going in to kiss Emily again, more urgently this time, moving her right hand to the back of Emily's neck to pull her closer. After a few seconds Emily kissed her back, smiling, but Clara could tell she was still angry.

Emily put her right hand on Clara's chest, her left hand on Clara's back to stand herself up off the window. She kissed Clara back gently at first but quickly progressed to match Clara's urgency. Clara felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach, immediately regressing to how she felt the last time she'd seen Emily, wanting to get her undressed and into bed as quickly as possible.

Emily undid the zip on Clara's jacket fully and pushed it off her shoulders, Clara had to move her arms to struggle out of it, not breaking off the kiss. She threw her jacket off of the floor and went back, quickly pulling up Emily's white tshirt up off her head. Emily began kissing her neck gently, she closed her eyes, not before catching the Doctor stood pacing around near the TARDIS outside, looking up at her, pretending to check his watch. She ignored him, instantly feeling compelled to move away from the open window.

She pulled Emily towards her by her waist, walking backwards towards the bed. Emily unpopped the top stud on Clara's denim shirt, before ripping the entire shirt open, laughing to herself.

"For future reference, I like this shirt," said Emily looking down at Clara's cleavage approvingly, "very... accessible." She smiled, putting both her hands around Clara's waist, gently brushing her stomach with her thumbs, "And to think I'd almost forgotten how fucking good your tits were," Emily laughed, raising her eyebrow, moving both her hands up the side of her body.

Clara went for Emily's jeans, easily undoing the top button, turning her around and pushing her onto the single bed. She pinned Emily down and continued kissing her deeply, trying to remove all of her clothing and her own as quickly as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

Clara unravelled herself from under the duvet cover a few hours later looking up at Emily with a devilish smile. She heaved herself up the bed to settle next to Emily.

"Well at least you haven't forgotten what to do," Emily laughed, regaining her breath, running her hands through her hair.

"Kind of glad about that myself," said Clara sarcastically, leaning up on her left elbow. She smiled, pulling up the duvet to cover her body.

"Fucking hell," Emily exhaled, smirking.

Clara leant down to kiss her, pushing away a stray piece of hair out of Emily's face, putting her palm on her cheek. She smiled to herself, content.

Emily's phone rang loudly from the floor. She groaned and pulled away, climbing over Clara to fish her handset out of the pocket of her discarded jeans.

"Oh, fuck," Emily shouted loudly, inspecting the phone, not removing her weight off Clara. "No... fuck... shit... " she sighed.

"What?" said Clara, placing a hand on her back gently.

Emily cleared her throat and answered the phone. "Hi Will," she said falsely bright, moving herself off Clara.

Clara heard a vague voice talking on the phone, unable to make anything out.

"Shit, I didn't realise the time, was busy having a... very loud intensive argument," she said, "can you wait for me?" She paused looking at Clara. "I've just got something I need to sort out."

There was a loud response over the phone.

"An hour OK?" asked Emily, raising an eyebrow towards Clara.

The volume of the response indicated it was not. Clara laughed quietly to herself.

"I'll meet you there," Emily sighed as a loud response came, "In a bit. OK, bye" She hung up the phone. "Shit," she said, laughing. "So I forgot I had to be somewhere."

"Really?" said Clara sarcastically, "didn't get that."

"Yeah," Emily smiled, throwing her phone further down the bed, pulling Clara towards her, making no attempt to get up.

"A," Clara paused, "very loud intensive argument? Is that what we are calling this now?" she pointed between them, smirking.

"I think that was a very accurate description," Emily laughed, kissing Clara quickly without warning.

Clara kissed her back for a few minutes before pulling away, "I thought you had to be somewhere?" she laughed.

"I thought we were still in the middle of an argument?" Emily retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"And I thought I had," Clara smirked, "suitably apologised."

"Well, I'm still pretty fucking angry, so..." Emily trailed off, looking away playfully, "I think another half hour should do it."

"Oh really, do you?" Clara said, flashing a cheeky smile which displayed her dimples.

"Yeah," Emily said laughing, goading her.

Clara tilted her head to the side, smiling as she thought, shrugging her shoulders, "go on then," she sighed deliberately blankly. She bit her lip, eyes glinting at Emily and then moved herself quickly back under the duvet.


	7. Chapter 7

Emily forcibly pushed Clara out of the door sixty minutes later at 7.15pm. "Get out!" she shouted, "fuck's sake!" she said laughing, "leave me alone." They continued kissing, having just spent ten minutes trying to leave.

"I think..." Clara said deadpan, "you're going to be late." She laughed.

"Totally fucking worth it," smirked Emily as she locked the door of her room.

"So where are you going?" Clara asked, realising she hadn't thought to ask for the last hour.

"Oh, it was some weekend gallery brunch party for a college artist on the upper East Side-" Emily started as she walked down the hallway.

"Brunch?" laughed Clara, pulling up to her, "do people your age even know what that is, let alone do it?"

"Err, yes, fuck off," said Emily, feigning being offended. "What do you mean, people my age? Alright grandma!" she laughed, pushing her gently in the chest. "And then there's a show at 8pm, it's ticketed though, I could try and get you one?"

"No, don't be silly," Clara said as they descended the stairs, "and besides, I think I've seen enough of you today," she said, deliberately flippantly. "And as it's 7pm, we are probably in," she paused to create a suitable word, "dunch territory now," she laughed to herself.

"Whatever," said Emily, shaking her head. "Do you actually think you're being funny?"

"Yes I do," she smiled.

They walked outside laughing, Clara saw the Doctor stood in the same place he had been earlier. He paced quickly towards them as they emerged from the building.

"Oh god," said Clara, under her breath.

"What?" said Emily, "oh..." she sighed as she realised what Clara was referring to.

"I saw him earlier," Clara said quietly.

"When?" said Emily.

"Umm," Clara blushed, "when we went inside..."

Emily laughed once, "has he been waiting there all this time? He's like a love sick puppy, isn't he?"

"Clara! Clara!" he shouted as he jogged over. "Where have you been?! Actually no," he paused as he slowed down, "don't answer that as I already know..." He pointed up at Emily's window, "the answer." He smiled widely. "Sometimes I surprise myself with my own intellect," he said sarcastically.

"Umm... how do you know that's my window?" Emily said.

"Oh, hello Bitey," he said, "are you still here? I see you are still living up to your new name."

"Clara," said Emily, ignoring him, "I'm going as I am late-"

"You too?" the Doctor said, "why are the young unable to tell the time these days?" he muttered to himself. "Is it infectious?"

"Well, we can't all be Lords of Time, can we?" Clara fired back sarcastically.

"A Lord of Time?" said Emily, laughing. "Ok then..."

"I prefer Time Lord, but if you want. You don't need to be a Lord of Time," he paused, "to tell the time, as I keep saying, it's a basic life skill. Get a watch and read it."

"Does that make you a Time Lady?" asked Emily, entertaining herself.

"No it does not," Clara smiled at her, "I'm still from Blackpool."

"I do know a Time Lady if you want one?" said the Doctor.

"Absolutely not," snapped Clara, knowing he was referring to Missy, but feeling an unexpected pang of jealousy spike through her at the thought of Emily being with anyone else.

"No thanks," said Emily at the same time. "I should get going," she looked at Clara before adding, "you can come with me if you want? I'm sure I can sort something out."

Clara had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that this would be a bad idea due to the underlying tension still between them and was also acutely aware of the Doctor standing uncomfortably close to her, wanting her attention. "No, no," said Clara, "it's fine."

"Ok, well I'll message you later," said Emily, briefly catching Clara's hand and kissing her on the cheek. She smiled as she walked away in the direction they had gone earlier.

"Now we have dispensed of Bitey," the Doctor said when Emily had only just moved from earshot. "I've found something," he said smiling. "I think you need to be careful what you wish for."

"Why?" she said, turning her head and raising an eyebrow. She folded her arms and followed slowly after he paced into the TARDIS.

The TARDIS had wiring strewn on every available surface, varying in colours and sizes, it looked like it had been split in half and tipped inside out.

"What the hell is going on in here?" said Clara, trying to tiptoe through the open spaces on the floor. "You aren't redecorating again are you?"

"No, I told you," the Doctor said, "she's recharging, I'm trying to find the broken power cell but not having much luck so far."

"And I thought my flat was bad when you were trying to find the Netflix," said Clara, hanging onto a railing to progress further inside.

"I never did actually find it," said the Doctor, "I turned off the heating to make the chill-"

"I'm sorry?" said Clara.

"I turned off your heating," he smiled, "in your house. Made it extra chilly for you."

Clara sighed loudly, "if I go back home and my place is like an igloo I will not be happy. It's March, in London, I might need some heat."

"You'll be fine," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"I'll be hypothermic," she corrected, "a state of wellbeing that you seem to be have been trying very hard to help me achieve over the last few months."

"Do you have to be so dramatic?" he said, walking around the central console. "You're either mopey or dramatic today, I can't keep up with the extremes."

"Dramatic?" Clara repeated, folding her hands. "You think I'm being dramatic?"

"Right now?" he paused, standing still to look directly at her, "yes you are." He paced off again, turning away. "Please stop, it's affecting the ambience in here. If it's not your eyes, it's the dramatics. The TARDIS cannot compensate."

"I've already had one very," she cleared her throat, choosing her words carefully, "intensive loud argument today, which, I hasten to add was caused by you dropping me off two weeks late, I really do not have either the patience or the energy to have another. Well, I do," she smirked to herself, blushing, "just not like that... with you," Clara slowed her words.

"Got to that stage already?" he said, the hint of a wry smile. "Shall I be expecting to see bitey again?"

"Yes, you shall," she nodded. "And please, for the last time, learn her actual name."

"She certainly lives up to the name Bitey, doesn't she? I'm not sure how comfortable I am with her attacking your neck like that," he said, inspecting a control panel.

"I'm not sure how comfortable am I with knowing that you know that," she said, creasing her eyebrows, "but, as we've previously discussed, she wasn't attacking me." Clara couldn't help herself smiling. "Appears I quite like the whole neck thing," she said, deliberately cheekily.

"I'm not sure if I like your new hobby," he said, moving towards the balcony level.

"Yeah, I'm not sure you've got a choice," she smiled. "You told me to get a new hobby, I get one and then you say you don't like it." Clara followed him slowly through the TARDIS, watching her feet, "you can't have it both ways."

"I said I'm not sure whether I like it," he clarified, "I didn't say I don't like it. I'm undecided. On the fence. Indifferent. Impartial... no, impartial is something different isn't it?"

"Why are you undecided?" she said, moving a cable dangling at eye level out of her way to pass through.

"I'm confused," he said, walking down the stairs towards the inner areas of the TARDIS, "is she a hobby or a replacement for PE?"

"Well," said Clara, a little taken aback, "she is certainly not a replacement for Danny," she said flatly. "I could never replace him... I'm not trying to replace him..."

"If she's just a hobby I don't need to retain any of the finer details."

"Finer details?" Clara asked, "like what? You don't need to know her inside leg," she said sarcastically before pausing, "do you?"

"No... finer details like name," he counted on his fingers, pacing through a corridor covered in fibre optic cables, "age, occupation, home address... and the like."

"That is basic information," she said patronisingly, "that you should know already."

"If she is a replacement for PE-"

"I've already told you, she is not replacing Danny-" Clara interrupted.

"Then I need to do a full vetting check," he talked over her.

"Sorry... what?" she reacted loudly.

"Let me make this easier for you to understand," he said, still pacing away, turning around to say, "do you have Google yet? After the whole wifi debacle-"

"Yes," she groaned, almost tripping over a raised wire, "I am aware of their work."

"It's like a time google," he smiled.

"A time google," said Clara, confused, "what the hell is that?"

"I can go and check their-" the Doctor started.

Clara realised what he was about to say. "What?" she shouted loudly. "No, come on..."

"-think of it like the reverse of a background check. I mean I also did that too, but-"

"Please tell me you did not do..." she paused, standing still on the corridor as he paced away, "a- a- foreground check on Danny?"

He turned around to face her, wringing his hands. "I didn't do a foreground check on PE." He strode away and stepped across a patch of wires until he reached a loose ceiling panel with a ladder beneath it.

"Ok," she huffed, still not moving. "Thank you," she said quieter, "you know, your idea of a joke and my idea of a joke are vastly different, we need to go through earth humour again."

"You told me to tell you, so I did. His was quite exciting," the Doctor said, "the stint in the army was very heroic, wasn't it? Couldn't get the dust off the side of the TARDIS for a month-"

"I hate you!" she shouted before immediately stopping herself. "I could have been out, I could have been having a few drinks but no, instead I came here to be insulted and have another argument," she muttered to herself, walking in the opposite direction, feeling herself welling up. "I can't believe you did a time check on Danny. Seriously Doctor, is there no length you won't go to to upset me?"

"Clara, Clara, come on," he called after her, "what are you doing?"

"I'm storming off," she shouted, upset, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

"No, no, I've been waiting all afternoon for you to come and help me," he ran as quickly as the cables on the floor allowed him. "I found a thing, I told you earlier."

"Do it yourself!" she shouted.

"I found a new room," he exclaimed, holding his hands up to the ceiling.

"Unless it's a room which has a large amount of alcohol and or the universe's biggest apology from you in it, I don't care," she said loudly. "I am going to my room."

"I was only trying to protect you," the Doctor called out, trying to catch her up.

"Leave me alone," she pressed on towards her bedroom.

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted, some distance behind, "I need you."

"Funny fucking way of showing it," Clara shouted, just about managing to choke back her tears as she went in the bedroom door, leaning back against it as it slammed shut. Clara sat down, back to the door, cradling her head in her hands.


	8. Chapter 8

There was a soft knock at the door a few minutes later.

"Go away!" Clara shouted loudly, her eyes red and streaming with tears. "Leave me alone."

"Clara," the Doctor said, muffled through the door. "I didn't intend to upset you." She could tell he was trying to figure out a way to open the door, but he wouldn't be able to if she was leaning on it. "It's not a configuration I like on you."

"Fuck off," Clara shouted as loudly as the lump in her throat would allow. "I am not in the mood to deal with this right now." She could feel some emotions surfacing that she'd thought were firmly locked away.

"Mind your language. Why are you so upset?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh I don't know," she said, "take a wild fucking guess." She looked down at her fingernails, tears streaming down her face.

"I thought all this stuff with Danny was over, dealt with, finished, compartmentalised?" he said.

"Seriously?" Clara spat, "you think it's that easy? How would you feel if- if- if River," she paused, realising even she knew the answer to this, saying quietly, "died."

"She died the first time I met her, you know that," he said, "I saved her though, quite literally." She could imagine the smug look on his face as he spoke.

"Leave me alone, I need some time to come to terms with the fact you ... vetted Danny," she paused as a thought occurred to her, "hang on," she said whilst standing up quickly. She wanted to see his face as she asked him the question.

The door swooshed open, the Doctor was stood fiddling with some electric cables in the corridor. He turned to look at her, holding a short scaffolding pole under his right arm.

"Did you know?" she said quietly, aiming her eyes, red and angry with tears at him.

"Know what? I know a lot of things, Clara. You're going to have to be a lot more specific, the last time I checked I couldn't read minds, although," he paused, "that is something you seem to have been learning recently," he trailed off smiling.

"Did you know?" she said louder, holding out a hand, taking a cautious pace towards him over a collection of thick black wires. She was hoping she was wrong.

"You still need to clarify-" he started, backing away from her slightly.

"I will not say this again," she said taking another step towards him, "did... you... know," she said with impossibly narrow eyes.

He held out the scaffolding pole in front of him, stepping carefully backwards down the corridor in the direction of the main console room. "I still don't understand."

"Did you know," she paced in front, the pole a couple of inches from her chest, "that..." she grabbed the end of the pole and wrestled it efficiently off him, "and be very careful with your answer."

"I still don't have any clue what you are asking," he said, walking backwards, holding his hands out to his sides as Clara aimed the scaffolding pole. He almost tripped on a patch of wiring, just about keeping his balance, "maybe if you actually get the words out I might-"

"Did you know," she said quietly, before doubling the volume, "he was going to die?" She stopped still.

"Oh," he said, edging backwards, "that." He wrung his hands in front of him.

"Oh that?" repeated Clara loudly. "Is that your only fucking answer?" She knew what his answer was going to be.

"I told you to mind your language in here," he pointed at her, "no expletives."

"Did... you fucking know?" she spat back at him, deliberately swearing.

"Clara, look, you're upset-" he started.

"No shit, Sherlock!" she said loudly, holding the pole against his stomach.

"Sherlock? Do you remember when I pretended to be Mr Holmes at that factory in Bradford? That was a good one, wasn't it?" he replied, smiling at her.

"Yeah it was," she sighed, before remembering the current argument she was engaged in, "stop changing the subject!" she shouted. "Did you know? I will not ask you again!"

"I don't want to upset you any more," the Doctor said.

"You don't want to upset me any more?" said Clara loudly, walking him backwards. "You are not going to upset me any more, I don't think it's possible to upset me any more."

"Listen Clara-" the Doctor started, walking backwards around the circle of the central console.

"Oh I am listening! Listening very intently!" She held the pole underneath his chin. "So start talking. I will do it, you know. Ask your friend Miss Bright."

"I heard," he said sternly, "Clara, what have I made of you? Threatening to stab another teacher? That's not the woman I met looking after those kids, is it?"

"Perfectly justified in the circumstances of her sharing naked pictures of me online," Clara snapped.

"They weren't that bad," the Doctor offered.

"Have a good look, did you?" Clara retorted. "Did you know Danny was going to die? It's a simple question. Yes or no?"

The Doctor stopped walking backwards. "No," he said, glancing at the pole Clara was holding.

"Are you lying to me?" Clara said loudly.

"No," the Doctor said, looking directly at her.

"Tell me what you knew," she said at a normal volume, her eyes stinging, holding her position.

The Doctor sighed loudly. "I went three months into the future, saw you having breakfast at some charming little cafe in Portobello Road."

"I remember that," said Clara, wiping a stray tear away with the back of her hand. "And then?"

"I went forward six months," the Doctor, "he was on the phone talking to you on a Sunday morning, I was just leaving, enjoying the nice day, when I heard some sirens, not unusual in London-"

"You were there?" said Clara. "You saw him just before he died? I don't believe this!" She felt herself getting very angry.

"I obviously didn't realise the sirens were for him," said the Doctor, "but when I went forward nine months and couldn't find him and someone else was living in his house, I presumed he'd moved away, you'd split up. And then I had to come back and fight the Skovox Blitzer."

"So hang on, you did that whilst you were building that thing?" said Clara, "that backpack?"

"I wanted to check whether you'd actually made a boyfriend error," the Doctor said, still at the end of the scaffolding pole, "despite what you may think about me I do actually care about you. I actually quite liked PE."

"Well, you could have fooled me," said Clara loudly.

"And I never, ever, ever want to see you like you were in that graveyard again," said the Doctor. "But I suppose that doesn't count for anything, does it?" he said snidely.

Clara paused for a second. "You really didn't know?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not then, obviously when he did die I was able to, how would you say, connect the dots."

Clara dropped the scaffolding pole with a clunk and put her head in her hands and couldn't control her tears, sobbing. She supported herself on the TARDIS console. She couldn't stay angry with him for that.

The Doctor moved over to her and stood a pace away. "I'm not overly familiar with the procedure in these situations. What do you need? Tissues? Painkillers? Flowers? I sure I have some chocolate around here somewhere-"

"Flowers? Why would I need flowers?" said Clara, not looking up. She'd polished off the Doctor's emergency chocolate a few weeks ago.

"Isn't that what you give people when they're upset?" said the Doctor.

Clara laughed weakly. "Only if someone's died or we've had a massive argument... or you cheated on me."

"Well none of those things have happened," the Doctor said.

Clara sighed, "of course they haven't." She stood up and held her arms out. "You can give me a hug?" she asked with the intonation of a demand.

"Is this an acceptable time to hug?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," she nodded, "yes it is."

He walked over and she hugged him tightly. He left it a few seconds before returning the sentiment. Clara stood on tiptoes to reach his shoulder as he stooped down. "Am I doing this right?"

"Yes you are," she laughed, tears still coming. "I'm sorry for getting angry at you, you know how I get."

"You're quite the mess of chemicals at the moment aren't you?" said the Doctor.

"Not sure if that's a compliment," said Clara, "but yes."

"So do I need to bite your neck? I'm confused, you said you like it but-" the Doctor started.

"No," Clara shook her head, and sighed. "That would be very, very... weird."

"OK," the Doctor nodded. "Understood."

Clara pulled away after a few minutes, wiping a few stray tears from her face. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," said the Doctor. "Can I offer you anything else? Maybe a refreshing cup of tea?" he held out a hand.

Clara shook her head. "Wine... is what I need," she said treading carefully away from him, trying to not trip over wires on her route to her room.

"Wine? Come on Clara, do you have to do the wine?" he said resigned.

"Yes, yes I do, it's kind of what I do when I'm upset," she said, leaving the console room. "And I'm not leaving my room," she called loudly down the corridor, allowing herself the smallest of smiles, knowing there was none in the TARDIS and that he'd have to leave to go and get some, "until I get some chocolate."


	9. Chapter 9

Clara went to her room and fished out a bottle of red wine from the emergency stash she had in one of the storage cupboards. She poured herself a large glass, took a few sips and then collapsed onto the bed, cuddling a pillow in foetal position on the bed fully clothed. She cried gently into it for a while before the tears subsided.

She had decided to text Emily, feeling suddenly alone and wanting to talk to someone other than the Doctor. She turned over to get her phone off the bedside table, taking another large slug of drink, returning to her original position. It was 9pm, the Doctor had still not reappeared.

: How's it going? x

She debated the wording of the message for at least ten minutes before sending, receiving a reply a few minutes after.

: Full of people wearing berets discussing light and shade and shit but otherwise... tolerable lol

Clara laughed out loud unexpectedly, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye.

: Where are you?

: Some immersive theatre performance, don't really have a clue what's going on but free alcohol so hey

: Free alcohol? Nice! If you'd told me that maybe I'd have come with you...

: Lol, where are u

Clara sat up in the bed, trying to think of a suitable answer.

: In my room, drinking wine

: on a saturday night? You are a fucking grandma! Why on your own? Where's the doctor?

: We had a bit of an argument

: again? do you ever not fucking argue?

Clara decided Emily was making a very valid point. She did spend an inordinate amount of time arguing with the Doctor.

: I guess not. I'm sure I'll be OK, the wine is helping

: alcohol helps everything doesn't it?

: Yeah. and chocolate. Lol

Forty five minutes passed before there was a reply, enough time for Clara to drain her wine, refill the glass and resettle herself in the bed. She was browsing through an article on Buzzfeed entitled 'The 100 Most Important Cat Pictures of All Time' when her phone bleeped.

: sorry, was watching the second half of this thing

: How is it?

: fucking rubbish - interpretive dance shite, may need to drink away the memory

Clara laughed again. She'd sat through many interpretive dance performances during her English degree.

: that's what they do, tempt you with free alcohol and then spring the interpretive dance

: we're heading to a club in a bit, want to come?

Clara really was not in the mood to go clubbing, she'd been crying and was still pretty upset.

: Thanks, but I'm having a bit of a wobble tonight. not sure I can face it. i'm also very busy looking at pictures of cats, so, you know

: that bad eh? it's cool, I understand.

: Are you busy tomorrow

: free all day, give or take hangover time. will you still be here?

: yeah

: you can take me for that breakfast you owe me

: oh I can, can i? we actually need to get there before having sex lol

: that does seem to be an issue, doesn't it?

Clara laughed gently to herself, sipping her wine, finishing the second serving easily, she tipped the remainder of the bottle into the glass. She was already beginning to feel a little light headed, but her mood was lightening the longer she was talking to Emily.

: Yes it does. Not that I'm complaining.

She smirked to herself as there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Clara said patronisingly, grateful the Doctor had decided to knock, rather than just barging in like he normally did.

"Who do you think it is?" the Doctor said. "The Queen of Sheba? Come on."

"What do you want?" shouted Clara, she read a message from Emily.

: You weren't earlier

"It appears you have sniffed out everything in the TARDIS that has a cocoa content of more than 30%," the Doctor said loudly.

Clara smiled to herself. "Really?" she said flippantly. There was no way her conversation with Emily was going to turn into anything other than very suggestive, she'd missed that.

"I wasn't sure what to get you, so I bought a selection," he said.

Clara raised an eyebrow. "Listening," she smiled as she typed a reply.

: Neither were you

"I also topped up your once a month supply-" said the Doctor.

"Shut up," she interrupted, putting her phone to one side. "Anything you want to say to me?"

"You look lovely today?" he offered.

"No," said Clara. "Try again."

"You've lost weight?" he said.

"Thank you for noticing," she paused, "but also no."

"You were really good on our last trip," he offered.

"I was, wasn't I?" she tilted her head sideways, smiling, "but no." She finished off the wine.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, barely audible.

"I didn't quite catch that," Clara said loudly.

"I'm sorry?" he said slightly louder.

"Thank you," nodded Clara. "I knew you'd get there eventually." She paused before saying loudly, "come in."

The door swooshed open, and the Doctor smiled widely at her.

"Oh god, please don't smile like that, you know how it unsettles me," she said, hugging a pillow.

He held out a large bar of chocolate towards her as if it were a sword. "You know, over here, this is apparently a small," he paused, "appears to be some kind of dimensional shift going on." He inspected it with his eyes, "how are they doing that?"

"Thank you," she said, sitting up on the bed, snapping it out of his hand.

"I know how sensitive you are about your diet-" he started.

"Stop," she snapped. "Anyway chocolate as a consolation food doesn't count."

"Does it not?" said the Doctor, creasing his eyebrows.

"Nope," she said, breaking unwrapping the bar, breaking off a small square and eating it. She grimaced, realising it was sickly American chocolate, but decided to let this fact go as it was not completely unpleasant. "Would you like some?" she offered.

"No thank you, have you seen how many calories are in that thing?" he patted his waist down, "can't afford to spoil the line of my jacket, can I?"

"A simple no would suffice next time," she said under her breath, pulling it back towards her.

"Oh," he said, swooping to the other side of the room and picking up the empty wine bottle, holding the green glass up to the light, "not the wine, Clara! Anything but the wine! Have you had this whole thing?" he pointed at the bottle.

"No," she lied, unable to contain a wry smile. Her phone chimed, she looked at it and smiled.

"Well I may as well write you off for the next twelve hours then, shouldn't I?" he said, resigned. "I've found something upstairs."

"Forgive me for not being excited," Clara said sarcastically, eating another square of chocolate.

"Upstairs, Clara!" he said, smiling widely, pointing to the ceiling as he sat on the bed.

"Why would I be interested in what's happening upstairs? This place doesn't even have an-" she paused, realising there wasn't a second floor on the TARDIS, "ohhh."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, mimicking her, "ohhh. If you hadn't been so busy being all-," he waved his hand around, "all angsty-"

"I think the words you're looking for are 'being justifiably very upset with me because I was being a complete arse'," she corrected him.

He looked at her, confused. "If you say so," he said dismissively. "But now I have to wait another at least another eight hours for you to be coherent."

"I'm fine, I may have had a whole bottle of wine but I can assure you I am absolutely 100% fine," she attempted to stand up, immediately regretting the decision as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"I leave you alone for two hours," he shook his head and flailed his hands. "Get some sleep, dewineify yourself, let me know once you've recovered. If it's not canoodling or being attacked or being mopey it's the excessive drinking." He sighed.

"A bottle of wine is hardly excessive," she said, ignoring him. Her phone bleeped next to her. She read it and smiled to herself.

"Maybe not by your standards," the Doctor said resigned. "Is that her?" he pointed at the phone.

"That is none of your business," she said with the intonation of 'yes', smiling.

"What could you possibly need to talk about? You've been with her all day!"

"Yeah, we weren't doing much talking," Clara smirked, typing a suitable reply to Emily's message.

"So she was attacking you all that time?" he asked, pointing at her.

"Technically I was attacking her if that's the way you want to look at it," she said cheekily, before she decided to stop. "But anyway..."

He stood up, clearly embarrassed. "Spare me the gory details," he grimaced, "I'll leave you to... dewine."

"Yeah, if you say so," she said, distracted by her phone, settling herself on the bed again.

"Don't have any more," he pleaded, pointing at her.

"I can't guarantee that," she said, not registering him.

The Doctor went to the cupboards on the opposite side of the room, retrieving some vodka and another bottle of red wine. "And I'm confiscating these. I need you alert and coherent." He walked towards the door of the room, leaving.

"Fine," Clara shouted weakly after him. She waited until the door closed, rolled over and retrieved another bottle of red wine from under the bed, laughing to herself. "Too easy."


	10. Chapter 10

Emily was pushed out of the taxi five minutes walk from her room during an alcohol fuelled extended fit of giggles.

"Fuck's sake," she said, stumbling on the ground, laughing. She was pretty drunk but not paralytic.

"See you on Monday morning babes," said her friend Will as the other four of them inside the taxi shifted to make themselves comfortable. "Text me when you're in."

"Yeah," said Emily, smoothing down her jacket, aiming herself at a nearby off licence. She wanted more drink.

"Bye!" she heard Will say as the taxi sped off, accompanied by cackling laughter. She rubbed her head, trying to ease her blinding headache.

She waved at the back of the taxi, wrapping her coat around her body and walked to the shop. She bought a bottle of vodka, some cheap white wine and a packet of cigarettes, carrying them in her oversized bag back to her room. She lit up a cigarette against the breeze, judging there was enough time to finish it before she got back.

Emily went the twenty metres to the main gates of the university complex, using her fob to get in. She waved politely at the guard, sat reading a newspaper, he smiled back.

She walked down the gravel coloured street lit path towards her room, digging out her phone from her pocket. There were no new messages. She'd been messaging Katie earlier, if only to stop her her mum trying to ring her constantly. Clara had most likely fallen asleep as she hadn't heard from her is a few hours.

Emily approached the entrance to her block, pausing as she went to open the handle. She glanced sideways at the blue police box, forgetting what Clara called it, wondering if anyone was up. She stubbed out her cigarette on a small wall mounted bin and walked over. Knowing Clara was so close and not wanting to be alone for another night made her curious to see what would happen.

She tried the right hand side door, finding it locked. She knocked on the door quietly, not wishing to wake anyone nearby up.

The door opened with a loud crash that echoed around the small courtyard. The Doctor stood in the doorway, towering two feet above her due to his height difference and the raised platform.

"Hi," said Emily, nervously. The Doctor scared her a little, but she had had a few drinks.

"Oh, hello... nope, sorry, I cannot remember your actual name, so we're going to have to stick with Bitey," he smiled down at her. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I see Clara?" she asked.

"It's," he licked his finger and held it up to the breeze, "3am in the morning, what are you still doing up?"

"I've been-" Emily started.

"It's OK, I'm not interested, isn't it late? Or are you still working on London time? Because if you are, the news hasn't even been on yet."

"Can I come in?" she asked, ignoring him, "I'd like to see Clara."

The Doctor looked around. "Isn't your room up there?" he pointed in the direction of her block.

"Yes," Emily nodded. "But it's cold, and I don't want to be alone. Besides, I know she's awake, we've been talking all evening."

The Doctor paused, before conceding and moving away from the doorway.

"Thanks," she said, stepping inside, met by a large expanse of exposed cabling and wires that resembled coloured spaghetti. "What is going on in here?"

He watched her with his eyes as he closed the door behind her. "I'm trying to fix this this thing, that's what is going on. I will warn you," he said, "she has not been in the best of moods this evening. Not quite sure why."

Emily laughed. "I hear you've been arguing again?"

"Arguing?" the Doctor said, incredulous, walking carefully to the central console. "We haven't been arguing."

"You're always arguing," Emily said, smiling, following his path of footsteps. "What was it about this time?"

"Why is that any of your business?" he said, inspecting some of the controls, not looking at her.

"Fair enough," she said, holding up her hands.

The Doctor sniffed the air as she approached. "Have you been drinking?" he said, spinning around to face her.

"A little," Emily lied, "it's Saturday night and I'm 24, it's not that unusual. Surely you must have been 24 once?"

"Hmm," said the Doctor, "I don't recall, it was over 2000 years ago."

"That is old," Emily laughed. "No wonder you don't remember. So, where is her room?" Emily asked, feeling a little awkward having an unsupported conversation with the Doctor.

"I said I'd let you in, I didn't say I'd tell you where her room was," the Doctor said.

Emily creased her eyebrows. "OK," she said, slightly annoyed, moving through the space, "I guess I'll have to find it myself."

"Good luck," the Doctor said, not acknowledging her, "I lost some car keys in 1563 and I've still yet to find them, so, by all means, knock yourself out." He waved her away.

"Clara is hardly a set of car keys," said Emily, "she can't be that difficult to find."

"Well she may as well be as far as you're concerned," the Doctor said, "the TARDIS doesn't make that distinction."

Emily stopped, turning around to face him. "You don't like me, do you?"

The Doctor stopped what he was doing and stood up straight. "Liking has nothing to do with it."

"So what's your problem with me?" Emily asked.

"I don't have a problem with you," the Doctor sighed.

"So what's the deal with you and Clara?" Emily said.

"There isn't a deal with me and Clara, we're not in any binding legal contract or gentleman's agreement, she's here of her own accord," the Doctor said, confused.

"I mean, between you," said Emily, stepping towards him.

"I'm not her boyfriend, if that's what you mean," he said unflinching.

"I didn't say that you were," Emily said, confused. "You just don't seem to be overly happy with the idea of me and her."

A silence hung in the air.

"You're very protective of her, aren't you?" Emily asked, "is that it?" Emily sat on a leather chair on the balcony.

"We've been travelling together for a while, of course I'm protective of her, I've saved her from all sorts of monsters-"

"Are you saying I'm a monster?" Emily snapped.

"No, of course you're not a monster, you are stone cold human," he replied.

"Is that a compliment?" Emily asked rhetorically.

"No, it's a fact," he replied. "I've already scanned you."

"You have?" Emily said, surprised. "When the fuck did you do that?"

"Mind your language. When we were Netflixing," the Doctor waved his hand, leaning back against the console, "I set the TARDIS to check you over."

"So," Emily paused, "if you've... scanned me, you'll know there is nothing for you to worry about. I'm not a monster."

"No, you're not," the Doctor nodded, "which, considering the amount of time you've been spending together is quite the relief." He smiled at her.

"Are you jealous?" Emily offered.

"Jealous?" the Doctor said, "why would I be jealous?"

"Of the amount of time we've been spending together."

"I've got a time machine, I could spend all the time in the universe with her if I wanted to," he said arrogantly, holding up his hands.

"OK," Emily conceded, "I can't compete with that."

"No," he said smugly, "no you can't," he smiled widely.

Emily set down her bag on the floor, hearing the lightest of clinks from the bottles. "I'm not planning on going anywhere you know."

"I can see that," he pointed at her, "you've put your bag down and everything. I do actually have work to do, but I suppose that doesn't matter to you, does it? So please, do carry on."

"Where is her room?" Emily asked again, "if you tell me, I can leave you alone."

"Oh yes, I forgot you are the one with all the questions, aren't you?" the Doctor replied, walking up to her.

"Yes," Emily smiled, folding her arms, leaning back in the chair.

"So here's a question for you," he walked up two steps, "what are you two doing?"

"What?" replied Emily.

"Every time I've asked Clara that question she gives me a very vague and unspecific answer," the Doctor looked at her, "maybe you can clear it up?"

"I don't know-" Emily started.

"You must know," said the Doctor, "why are you both being so... non-comittal?"

"I don't know," Emily sighed. "I'm not sure I'm ready for another full on proper relationship."

"Why?" the Doctor asked. "Last one mess you about did they? I'd say she, but seeing how fluid everyone's sexuality seems to be these days-"

"The last one did not... mess me about," said Emily, sternly.

"So why are you not still canoodling with them?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If you really must know, she died," Emily said.

"Oh," the Doctor paused. Another silence hung in the air. "Her last one died too, well, I say died, he got run over and then turned into a Cyberman, she got very upset in a graveyard," he said dismissively, "did she tell you that?"

"Yes she did," Emily nodded.

"Good... good..." he said. "My last one died too, you know."

"Your last one?" Emily said.

"The one before Clara," the Doctor said, "her name was Amy. Also my mother-in-law but that I suppose is unimportant in this context."

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"In very simple terms, a statue sent them back in time, I watched their names appear on a gravestone," said the Doctor.

"Their?"

"Oh yes, her and her husband Rory," he looked away.

"And you don't want that to happen to Clara?" Emily asked.

"Something like that, but nothing will happen to her," the Doctor said, "I am not losing her too."

"That's... sweet," Emily reflected.

"Well, I'm very glad we had this conversation," the Doctor snapped his gaze back to the console. "But I do actually have work to do."

"Do you love her?" Emily risked asking him. She had to know.

"Do I love her?" the Doctor said, "why would you ask that?"

"Just... curious," Emily replied.

"I- I- I don't know how to answer," the Doctor stammered, a red flush appearing on his face.

"It's a yes or no answer," Emily laughed, knowing she had rattled him.

"Correct, it is a closed question, but as the concept is abstract it's a little more difficult than that," he avoided answering.

"So?" Emily folded her arms, leaning forward.

"I really don't know," he replied, leaning on the central console, head down, "how to answer."

"Where's her room?" Emily asked. "Tell me and I'll stop, I already know what the answer is."

"Down the corridor, on the left, third door on the right," he said automatically, pointing, clearly deep within thought, not looking up.

"Thank you," Emily said, standing up. She tiptoed through the mess of wires in the direction he'd said. "Goodnight Doctor," she smirked.

"Night," he said weakly, before shouting loudly down the corridor, realising he had been had, "and no hanky panky!"


	11. Chapter 11

Clara woke up to a soft tapping on her bedroom door. She was still fully dressed, hugging the pillow surrounded by empty bottles of wine and a few tissues. She rolled over to check the time on her phone. It was 3.30am. Her head was swimming due to the three bottles of wine she'd had.

"Go away," she shouted half heartedly, stretching out, "we've discussed this, 3am is not an acceptable time to wake me up, regardless of what time zone we're in."

The knocking continued.

"If you've trapped your finger in a door again, I've told you, just put some ice on it!"

There was a faint noise outside that she couldn't make out.

Clara sighed loudly and went to the door control. "You know, any other time you'd just let yourself in and not disturb me but on the one day I want to-" she realised it was Emily stood outside, "Emily! What the-"

"Hi," Emily said waving.

"How the hell did you get in here?" said Clara loudly, surprised.

"The Doctor let me in," Emily replied, arms folded.

"The Doctor let you in?" she repeated, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes he did," Emily smirked. "So am I allowed in or...?"

"Yes, sorry, of course," Clara moved away. "Come in."

"Thank you," Emily nodded, looking around as she entered. The door swooshed shut behind her.

Clara went to sit on the bed. "I can't believe he just let you in and directed you to my room," she pondered, "I'm tempted to say you must have broken in," she laughed.

"What can I say? I'm very persuasive," Emily smirked.

"Yes, yes you are," Clara nodded, sighing, "but I really didn't think he was your type," she laughed.

"I talked my way in," said Emily, dropping her bag on a nearby chair. Clara heard the unmistakable clink of two glass bottles.

"Is that alcohol I hear?" she raised her eyebrow.

"It might be," Emily teased.

"Does he know you've got that?" said Clara, smiling. "He definitely would not have let you in if he knew you were smuggling alcohol."

"Nope," Emily said, smirking.

"What have you brought me?" asked Clara.

"Who said it was for you?" Emily replied.

"Well I'm out of everything," Clara said playfully, "so this is now a BYOB establishment after the Doctor confiscated half my stash. And I wasn't expecting visitors so..."

Emily laughed at her. "Well I can offer you vodka or cheap house white," she dug the bottles out of her bag, holding them, one in each hand.

"You may stay," Clara nodded, reaching for the vodka. She rolled out of bed towards a storage cupboard and got a shot glass and a small tumbler. "You know, I stole this from a bar on the seventh ring of Jirhop," said Clara, holding out the shot glass to Emily, laughing.

Emily took the tumbler out of Clara's other hand. "Keep it, you're the lightweight," she laughed.

"Do you mind?" said Clara, pushing her playfully, "I could drink you under the table."

"Keep telling yourself that, grandma," Emily laughed.

Clara took the bottle of vodka off her, throwing the shot glass on the bed, looking at Emily, raising an eyebrow as she unscrewed the lid and took two large gulps. She winced, holding the bottle out. She threw the lid on the bed.

Emily took the bottle, smiling as she took a large swig, unable to keep a straight face.

"So how did you talk your way in?" Clara asked, taking the bottle from Emily and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, the usual," Emily said facing away from her, walking around the room looking at various photos and items on a small dressing table. She shook off her grey coat and hung it up on a hook by the door.

"Make yourself at home, why don't you?" Clara said sarcastically after taking a large measure of vodka, pointing with the bottle neck to the ceiling. "The usual... there is no usual conversation with the Doctor."

Emily moved to look in various cupboards and hatches around the other side. "This room," said Emily, "is not what I expected inside a time machine."

"Oh yeah? What did the last one look like?" Clara laughed.

Emily turned around to face her. "This is fucking mental. I'm inside a bedroom, inside a time machine, inside a wooden police box thing. If I wasn't already wasted I'd think I was off my tits."

"It's ok, the novelty soon wears off," Clara sighed. She took another large gulp of vodka.

"It's a bit... basic," Emily cast her eye around. "I was expecting it to be like your room in your flat." She sat on the bed next to Clara and took the vodka off her.

"I see this more as a hotel room," Clara explained, "I don't actually spend that much time here. Only when we're stuck, and I don't tend to get many visitors." She laughed.

Emily knocked back more vodka, almost half of the bottle was gone.

"So what are you doing here at 3am?" Clara asked, smirking.

"I don't really know," said Emily, "I just didn't want to drink alone and knowing you were so close..." she offered the vodka to Clara.

"Thank you," she laughed, taking the bottle, accidentally holding on to Emily's hand. Clara looked down, smiling to herself as she wrestled it off her. She downed another large shot of alcohol, feeling herself getting very tipsy.

"Don't you think you should slow down?" Emily laughed. "You're a lightweight. The last time we got drunk together you ended up passing out."

"I'm fine," said Clara, sipping the bottle once more, passing it back. She hiccupped afterwards.

Emily laughed at her, watching her as she drank heavily from the bottle, before reaching down the bed to get the lid and screw it on, setting the bottle down on the floor.

Clara put her right hand on Emily's cheek. "I'm glad you're here," she blushed.

"You're drunk, aren't you?" Emily said, putting her hand on Clara's leg. "You just cannot hold your drink," she smiled.

"I want to... kiss you," Clara moved her face towards Emily's.

"That's a perfectly normal reaction," Emily laughed as Clara looked at her curiously. "Go on then."

Clara moved to kiss Emily gently on the lips, her head spinning due to the alcohol. "You're so beautiful..." she said, eyes glazed over.

"And you're so drunk," Emily laughed, smiling at her. "I like it."

Clara felt Emily kiss her again and press her down on to the bed, finding herself responding. She was drunk, but fuelled by adrenaline now, she kissed Emily back hard.

"Are we going to have drunk sex?" Clara said after a couple of minutes, giggling to herself.

"I fucking hope so," Emily said, grinning at her. She retrieved the bottle of vodka from the floor and took another large gulp. She leant down and undid Clara's denim shirt with one motion, smiling and then pounced on her.


	12. Chapter 12

Clara woke up in her room on the TARDIS with a banging headache. She sleepily rolled over and reached for her phone to check the time. It was 10.21am. She was undressed apart from her bra and still very drunk.

She turned over and realised Emily was sleeping naked next to her, initially surprised as it was the first time she'd ever woken up next to anyone in this room. She smiled to herself, cuddling up to Emily, half covered by the duvet and drifting back to sleep.

The bedroom door swooshed open suddenly a while later.

"So, I left you for seven hours of uninterrupted sleep in case you were actually awake when-" he paused, standing completely still, saying slowly, "Bitey turned up."

"Hmm," slurred Clara, not awake. She unconsciously checked her phone. 11.00am precisely. "Go away, Doctor," she waved him away, "too early." She turned over in bed and found Emily there next to her, cuddling her when she stopped quickly, immediately opening her eyes in shock, knowing there was something very wrong with this situation.

"Is this a bad time?" he said loudly, sarcastically.

"Umm," Clara said, pulling the covers on to her, blushing heavily. "You need to leave," she said sleepily. Emily didn't rouse next to her, she was completely passed out and only just covered by the duvet.

"What is going on?" he asked, loudly, blushing.

"Erm..." Clara thought out loud, hoping he would understand and leave immediately. He didn't. She sat up in bed, instantly aware she was only wearing a bra.

"And where did this come from?" the Doctor said, crouching on the floor, holding up an empty bottle of vodka at her.

"Umm," Clara put her right index knuckle to her lip, pulling up the duvet.

"I thought I confiscated all your alcohol," he sighed.

"Emily brought it with her..." said Clara, rubbing her temples. Emily still hadn't woken up at all.

"She brought it with her?" he looked at her, confused. "How did she do that?"

"You need... to leave... right now," Clara said in a loud whisper. She was trying to recall the finer details of last night after Emily turned up, but was struggling.

"What have you been doing?" he asked, gazing around the floor, Clara saw discarded clothes and various drained bottles around.

"What do you think we've been doing? For god's sake!" Clara was now fully awake and heavily embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I be frisking anyone that turns up now? I didn't realise her real name was..." he pointed at Emily waving his hand trying to think of the name, "Pablo Escobar!"

"Get out," Clara snapped quietly, covering herself, her dressing gown was well out of reach.

"Are you still intoxicated?" the Doctor moved further into the room.

"Please get out," she repeated in a harsh whisper, knowing it was futile.

"Have you turned your room into some sort of recycling centre?" he indicated the four empty bottles of wine, three red and one white, next to the bed.

"Get... out..." said Clara sternly. Emily turned over in bed, completely oblivious, resting her arm on Clara's chest, exposing her back, a lot more of her body than she had previously. This level of awkwardness was not something she was ready to deal with.

The Doctor looked at Clara, towards Emily and then back her again. "No..." he paused, "please don't tell me you've..." He blushed heavily, turning around quickly.

"Umm," said Clara, "what do you want me to say, Doctor?" She sighed, reaching for her denim shirt on the floor to cover the top half of her body.

"She is young isn't she?" he pointed behind and sighed. "Very smooth skin, have you checked her ID to make sure she's not young enough to be a student of yours? You know, I have very few rules Clara-" he folded his arms, still facing away.

"What are you talking about? You have loads of rules!" she snapped quietly. She covered herself with the duvet and reached for her trousers. "Do not turn around,"she warned, figuring the only way to get him out was by using brute force.

"Why?" he said, beginning to move to face her.

"I'm getting dressed, for fuck's sake, that's why!" she said in a harsh whisper.

"Can you please get Bitey to do the same?" the Doctor said, rotating back to face the wall. "It's very... unsettling for me."

"Unsettling for you?!" Clara said a little louder than she wanted, trying to pull on her trousers as quickly possible, cursing the fact they were skinny jeans. "And it's not unsettling for me? Of course not." She was watching him like a hawk.

"One of my main rules is," he paused, embarrassed, "no hanky panky. You know that, I even told her last night."

Clara did up her trousers and covered Emily completely with the duvet. "Ok, you can turn around, and now you can leave." She walked up to him and pointed towards the door, not looking him in the eye.

"It was a very simple request, Clara," he spun around, glancing her up and down. "Oh, it wasn't a shadow cast by the light, it's still there. And you can't wear that, you wore it yesterday, I thought that was one of your rules."

"Get... out," said Clara again, shoving him in the chest. "What did you think we were going to do? Seriously."

"I thought she was going to talk to you," he waved his hands. "That's all."

Clara folded her arms. "Really? Both drunk? In my bedroom? In the middle of the night? What did you think was going to happen?!"

"You were arguing all day yesterday-" he said.

"We weren't arguing," said Clara, quickly, blushing.

"You weren't?" he asked, eyebrows creased.

"Nope," said Clara, deadpan. "Now, will you please leave." She pushed him towards the door.

"But-" the Doctor started.

"But nothing!" she hissed. "Get out!"

"I need you, I told you last night," he said as she shoved him out of the door roughly.

"You always need me," she said, walking him out into the corridor, still strewn with wires, letting the door seal behind her. "Look," she softened her tone, leaning back against the nearby wall, "I'm still drunk-"

"You're still drunk?!" he said, incredulous.

"Yes," she lowered her head, marginally ashamed, "I'm tired-"

"But you've been sleeping-" he said loudly.

"I think all the evidence points to the fact I've not been sleeping," Clara said, pointing back to the room, unable to contain the smallest of smiles at what she had been doing. "You've caught me in..." she sighed, "quite an embarrassing situation-"

"Have I?" he said blankly. She was unsure whether he was joking or not.

"Seriously?" she said loudly, "you've just walked in on me naked in bed, with another woman, also naked. What about that is not embarrassing?"

"You weren't doing anything," he offered.

"Well, yes," Clara sighed, "at least we can all be thankful for that."

"What do you need?" he asked.

"What do you mean, what do I need?" she mirrored back.

He pointed at her. "How do I fix you?"

"How do you... fix me?" she creased her eyebrows.

"What is it? Coffee? All day breakfast? Stinson's Hangover Fixer Elixir?" he held out his hands.

"Err... what's that?" Clara said, confused.

"It's how I met your mother," the Doctor replied.

"You met her?" Clara said.

"Well yes, I did, in a park, in the early nineties, but no, I was watching it the other day," he said.

"Watching what?"

"How I Met Your Mother," the Doctor replied. "Funyuns and tantrum, that's what I need, whatever they are..."

"Oh... right..." Clara sighed, her head hurting. "A fictional hangover cure? I'll give that a miss thanks. I may be able to provide a tantrum if you ever mention this again."

"What do you need?" the Doctor said, folding his arms.

"A lie in," Clara massaged her temples, "and then coffee and then breakfast."

"So when are you going to be ready to help me?"

"Help you with what?" Clara said, still confused.

"There's a situation on the top floor that I need your help with," he pointed upwards.

"Oh yeah, that," Clara said dismissively, headache running through her skull, feeling the urge to be sick creeping into her stomach. "I will help you, just... not now."

"So when?" he said.

"All the times I've waited around for you," she snapped, "least you can do is let me have a lie in."

"Ok," he conceded. "I don't do waiting very well. The TARDIS doesn't like being sick, I need to fix her"

"Yes," she smiled wryly, "that I can see. Leave me for a few hours, I'm sure I'll emerge soon."

"Ok," he conceded through gritted teeth. She knew he was annoyed, he spun around on the spot.

"Thank you," she nodded, turning around to go back in, opening the door.

The Doctor paced away down the corridor through the strewn wires, before shouting backwards at her. "Clara?"

"Yes?" she called out around the door frame.

"I hope you bought it with you."

"What?"

"The cream."

"What cream?" Clara said.

"Bitey's been showing she loves you again," he said loudly, indicating his neck as he disappeared.

"Great," Clara said resigned to herself, banging her head loudly on the door frame, realising the cream was in her bag that she'd left at home in her flat.


	13. Chapter 13

Clara woke up a few hours later, in bed, fully clothed, having crawled back into bed after her embarrassing encounter with the Doctor. She stretched out to find Emily sat up in bed wearing only one of her own tshirts. She was looking at her phone.

"Morning... fucking hell!" Emily said, smirking, as Clara rolled over to face her. "I hope you own some tops with a high neck," she laughed.

"What?" said Clara, yawning.

"Good luck explaining that," Emily mused, turning her gaze back to her phone.

"Sorry what?" Clara asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Well at least I can see I enjoyed myself last night," she said, unable to contain her laughter.

"Oh, my neck... yeah," Clara sighed, "thanks for that. How bad is it?"

Emily put her hand on Clara's chin and moved it left and right, smiling to herself. "Pretty fucking bad."

"I am at least ten years too old for this to be a problem," Clara groaned, covering her head with her hands.

"Why are you dressed? I'm pretty sure your neck would not look like that if you'd been dressed," Emily said sarcastically.

"The Doctor came in earlier," Clara said quietly, still behind her hands.

"What?!" Emily said loudly.

"Yeah," Clara covered her head with a pillow.

"He really has no fucking boundaries does he?" Emily said, shocked.

"No... he does not," Clara said.

"How much did he... see?" Emily asked quietly.

"Oh don't, it's making me feel sick just thinking about it."

"Was I awake?" Emily said.

"No you weren't," said Clara, moving the pillow a little so she could look at Emily from underneath it. "He said I should check your ID to see how old you actually were," she covered her face again, "because... your skin... was so smooth."

"Fuck off," Emily snapped.

"Yes," Clara said, not willing to uncover her face, blushing. "Oh god, I think I am actually going to be sick."

"I bet he fucking loved it," Emily reflected, before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Don't, just don't, OK?" Clara laid stationary, banging her fists against the pillow above her face.

"I would loved to have seen his face," Emily mused. "Get a bit of an eyeful did he?"

"Please shut up," Clara groaned.

Emily continued laughing. "Are you going to emerge out at some time today?" she said, lifting up the pillow. She threw her phone down the bed and sat up on her left elbow, resting her right hand on Clara's stomach. "You can't hide under there forever."

"Can't I?" Clara said, pulling the pillow back.

"We should go out and see him," Emily sniggered, "I can wear something that barely covers me, like this tshirt of yours." She trailed her fingers up Clara's stomach, under the shirt, unpopping a couple of buttons as she went.

"No!" Clara shouted, "I can't go out and see him."

"Why?" asked Emily, undoing the remaining buttons on Clara's shirt, trailing her fingers towards her cleavage.

"Bad hair, copious lovebites, the fact he's seen me naked apart from a bra, the fact he's seen you completely naked from the back, feelings of intense shame and embarrassment," she paused for breath, "take your pick."

"I wonder if he would get me a coffee," Emily said. "He has WhatsApp doesn't he?" Emily took her hand off Clara's chest suddenly.

Clara felt Emily climb over her.

"Hello Doctor," Emily said out loud, "I am awake and I need coffee-"

"What are you doing?" Clara said, throwing off the pillow, seeing Emily with her phone typing a message. "No, he doesn't text, give it back."

"Sent," Emily said, grinning. "What use is a lapdog if you don't use him?" She laughed out loud.

"That's not really the way he does things," Clara said.

"I want a coffee," Emily gave her phone back, "he's up and about, so why not?"

"This place isn't a B&B you know!" Clara laughed.

There was a knock on the door.

"I got you some coffee," the Doctor said from behind the door. "Made it to your exact specification."

"Isn't it?" Emily smirked. "More convincing B&B than it is a time machine," she laughed. "He was here within a minute, that is really good service."

"Shut up," she shoved Emily hard in the chest.

"I don't want to come in after earler," he said.

"Perfectly understandable and the correct decision," Clara said loudly. She got up out of bed, doing up most of the buttons on her shirt and walked to the door. It opened as she approached.

"Good afternoon," he said sarcastically, holding out two blue mugs of steaming coffee on one hand. "You said Bitey-"

"Emily," both Clara and Emily said at the same time. Clara looked down at the ground and blushed as she made the briefest of eye contacts with him.

"-wanted one too," he carried on. "And I got you some paracetamol like you asked. Well, I got a relief patch, thought that might do the trick instead." He held out the patch in his left hand.

"You are certainly very efficient today," said Clara, trying to avoid his gaze. She took one of the cups and the relief patch and handed it to Emily, smirking back at her. She glared at Emily with narrow eyes, mouthing the words, 'I hate you," as she passed them over. She returned to collect the second cup. "Thank you."

"Glad to see your guest has marginally covered herself since earlier," he sneered. "I would very much prefer it if you were dressed."

"Morning Doctor," Emily said brightly, returning her attention to her phone. "Not going to happen."

"It's not morning, we have well and truly gone past morning," said the Doctor.

"It appears so," Emily sighed. "What's for breakfast then Doctor?"

"Breakfast?" Breakfast would imply it is before 10 am.

"Breakfast lasts all day," Emily clarified. "Is this how you treat all guests to... Clara, what's this thing called?"

"This... thing... is called the TARDIS," interrupted the Doctor, glaring at Emily as if she had sworn at him.

"What does that stand for?" Emily grinned, pausing whilst she thought, "is it The-"

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space," Clara answered, turning to her, "why?"

"I thought maybe it stood for something like, Table-Service, Refreshments and Dining Inside," Emily paused, "a Spaceship."

Clara snorted back laughter, watching the Doctor's eyebrows raise in fury.

"It does not stand for that, and you've added two extra As," he pointed at Emily.

"It's a small a," replied Emily, "grammatically fine, right Clara?"

"Yes-" Clara started.

"I wouldn't asked her," the Doctor said sideways.

"Why? She's an English teacher," Emily replied. She took a slug of coffee.

"Her teaching is sometimes... questionable," he tilted his head towards her.

"She's right," Clara said, "technically it's a small a, so fine. But anyway," Clara changed the subject, "as much as I love debating indefinite articles I would really like to drink my coffee so..."

"So when will you be ready? You've got your coffee, you've had your lie in... wasn't it just breakfast to fix you?" The Doctor rubbed his chin, "I don't have anything in, so we're going to have to go out."

"Are you taking us all for breakfast?" Emily asked, smirking. "That sounds like a great idea, thank you Doctor."

"I think he's joking," Clara said, sipping her coffee, smirking.

"Oh no," the Doctor said, "I'm not, I'll go and get my straw." He smiled. "You," he pointed at Emily, "how long does it take you to get ready?"

"Oh no," snapped Clara, "this... this is not happening." She threw a nearby pillow at Emily, almost causing her to spill her mug of coffee. She sat down on the stool in front of the dressing table.

"Depends," said Emily, smiling.

"What on?" the Doctor asked.

"Well," Emily paused, eyes glinting at Clara. "Normally an half hour to an hour-"

"Really? Can you show her how to do that?" the Doctor tilted his head at Clara.

"I'm still here you know," Clara said resigned between sips of coffee.

"-it depends whether I get distracted," Emily grinned.

"Why would you get distracted?" the Doctor asked, creasing his eyebrows.

Clara couldn't help smiling to herself, shaking her head resigned.

"I might run into an attractive woman in the corridor, you know, that could be a distraction," Emily said, directed at the Doctor, "you know what I mean?" She took a sip of coffee maintaining eye contact.

"But there's nobody else here," he said nonplussed.

"The attractive woman might be just out of the shower or she might look at me seductively and it might make me want to-"

"I suggest you shut up," Clara snapped, aiming a glare at her.

Emily laughed. "It also depends if you pay."

"If I pay?" the Doctor said. "Let me think about that... No."

"I'm a hard up student," Emily smirked, "surely you've got some... space money or something lying around here?"

Clara choked on her mouthful of coffee. "Space money?" she repeated, clearing her throat.

"I do not have any... space money," he looked at her confused.

"Then I suggest you get some because breakfast is on you." Emily paused, "or... I could tell Clara what we were talking about last night before you told me where her room was." She smirked.

The Doctor paused, about to say something but stopped himself, folding his arms.

"Err," said Clara, standing up, putting her coffee on the side. "What are you two talking about?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Oh," the Doctor looked uncomfortable, "um, err," he scratched the side of his face. Emily narrowed her eyes at him, smiling, raising an eyebrow.

"What's going on?" Clara asked again, folding her arms, looking between the two of them. "This is drama, I should know, I do drama," she said loudly.

"You actually do English," the Doctor corrected.

"Shut up," Clara held out her left palm to him. "What is this?" She pointed between them.

"Oh no, not the eyes. Err... umm... would you look at the time? I have some... er... space money to find," the Doctor said, disappearing from view. The door shut automatically.

Clara snapped her gaze to Emily. "Tell me," she said.

"Oh it's nothing," Emily smirked.

"What did you do?" Clara asked, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Nothing," she laughed, "I didn't do anything."

"I can make you tell me," Clara said, narrowing her eyes.

"Go ahead," Emily said, blatantly making fun of her. "It was nothing really," she dismissed. "How does this thing work?" she looked at the relief patch.

Clara took it off her. "Why do you need this?"

"I've amputated my leg, what do you think?" Emily smirked.

"You rip off the film and put it this side down," Clara did what she was saying, "where you hurt." She held the relief patch out to her.

"Thanks," Emily said, going to take it from Clara but finding it snatched out of the way. "Give it here."

Clara placed it on the side of her own head. "Sorry, my hand slipped," she laughed.

"Fucking bitch," Emily said, pushing her backwards with a smile on her face.


	14. Chapter 14

Emily dragged Clara out of her room in the TARDIS an hour later. She took her by the hand and lead her towards the console room, grinning. She was wearing one of Clara's printed white tshirts with her jeans, carrying her own coat.

"No, no..." said Clara, blushing heavily, planting her feet on the floor, resisting any forward movement "please don't make me do this." She had spent the last twenty minutes finding something to wear that would cover as much of her neck as possible and putting a large amount of concealer on with Emily's help.

Emily laughed loudly. "It wasn't that bad." She let go of Clara's hand and continued walking, stepping around the wires.

"For you maybe," Clara sighed, "you were asleep for the worst bit." She gave up fighting as she didn't have the energy. "You don't have to live with him and you don't have an exorbitant amount of love bites around your-"

"Hi Doctor," Emily said brightly as she emerged into the main console room in front of Clara.

"What time do you call-" the Doctor shouted loudly from the balcony as he turned around, stopping short when he noticed it was Emily and not Clara, "this," he said quietly, "oh hello... sorry, I noticed the clothes before the face."

"Hello," Emily smiled, waving. Clara had not yet shown herself around the corner. "How are you?"

The Doctor walked carefully down the set of stairs to Emily's right. "Annoyed, bored, feeling impatient..." he said blankly, narrowing his eyes at her, "and about to be manipulated into buying breakfast for and by my travelling companion and her..." he paused, "overnight guest. But as is customary around these parts the answer is... I'm fine, thank you," he said sarcastically.

"Travelling companion?" said Emily, raising an eyebrow, folding her arms to look at him. "Is that how you're defining your relationship now? Very different from last night where she was the love of your life."

"I'm still deciding whether I like you," said the Doctor, standing in front of her at least a foot and a half taller, creasing his eyebrows, "so please do continue." He folded his arms watching her closely.

"Err, why are you two staring each other out?" Clara said, eventually building up the courage to see the Doctor. They were stood facing each other not speaking.

The Doctor turned to face Clara. "What time do you call this?" he said to her loudly. Emily turned around a few seconds after, smirking.

Clara eyed them both suspisciously before suddenly being unable look him in the eye, blushing a dark shade of red, highly embarassed. "I think the words you were looking for were hello Clara," she said looking at her hands.

"Were they?" the Doctor pondered. "OK then, hello Clara."

"Hello," she said quietly, feeling nauseous.

"Glad to see you've sorted yourself out," the Doctor said. "I see you did bring that cream with you, how very foresightful."

"What cream?" asked Emily before the colour drained from her face whispering, "oh god, you've not got an STD or something have you? Please tell me-"

"No, of course I don't have an STD," Clara snapped loudly. This breakfast was going to be a nightmare.

"What's an STD?" the Doctor asked.

"Thank fuck, you had me worried," Emily said relieved, adding helpfully, "Sexually Transmitted Disease, Doctor."

He snapped his eyes to Clara. "Why would you have one of... oh," he said, realising, blushing, "is that what's making your face all red?"

"No, that's shame, embarrassment, annoyance and a very high level of discomfort," said Clara, cringing, shaking her head, covering her face. There was a loud noise from up above in the ceiling causing them all to look up.

"Oh god, it's not thrush is it?" Emily asked, quietly, "can you catch-"

"I haven't seen any passerine birds in here," the Doctor interrupted, gazing up to the ceiling. "Probably just a bit of scaffolding up there." He put his hands on his hips, walking towards the screen in the central console.

"No," Clara said impatiently through gritted teeth, "I do not have thrush." This was already unbearable.

"Well, I'd hope not, they don't make very good pets," the Doctor said. "Cats are much better."

"So, what's it for? The cream," Emily asked, concerned. "Do I needed to get tested?"

"No, no... what do you take me for?" she walked towards Emily, sighing, "it's for my neck, he got me a cream to remove bruises after I met you as covering up love bites seems to have become a daily occurrence."

"And I didn't want her to embarrass me," the Doctor added.

"What?" laughed Emily, incredulous, "you actually have that?"

"Yes I do," Clara nodded.

"So why did I spend all that time putting on concealer?" Emily raised her eyebrow.

"I left it at home," said Clara, quietly.

"That was... unfortunate," reflected Emily, sniggering.

"Really?" said the Doctor, coming over to look at Clara."You can hardly see it at all... Very impressive work."

"Thank you," Emily acknowledged, "took me fucking ages." She moved to Clara and pointed at her jumper, "this was the highest neck top that she owns unfortunately."

"Oh yes," the Doctor looked at her, indicating his neck, "I like that one. Very... Shakespearian. Perfect for the morning after you've been doing some extended hugging," he paused.

"I am not having this conversation," Clara groaned loudly as Emily laughed in the background.

He began walking to the main door. "Well, now we've got all the pleasantries out of the way, we need to get you breakfast," he pointed at Clara.

"What an excellent idea," said Emily, following him. "Yes please." She pulled on her coat.

This was already making Clara feel nauseous. She wanted to turn around and go back to her room, but at the same time she was also very hungry. She begrudgingly went towards the two of them, watching the floor.

"It's the last thing to fix your hangover," the Doctor said loudly, opening the door to the outside. "Then we can explore upstairs."

"I haven't eaten anything for the last two days," Emily replied innocently, looking sideways at Clara, smirking out of the Doctor's view. "I am starving."

"Shut up," Clara whispered, unable to contain the smallest of smiles, pushing her in the chest as the three of them emerged outside. She closed the door behind them.

"Based on your trajectory yesterday," the Doctor said, "breakfast is," he pointed along the road, "that way."

"Yes," said Emily brightly as the Doctor strolled off in front. She put her hands in the pockets of her coat and laughed to herself as they followed slower.

"I don't know whether it's possible for every part of a body to cringe," Clara said, quietly, "but it certainly feels like it right now."

"Oh, relax," said Emily, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable Clara was, "it's just breakfast. More importantly, free breakfast, don't forget that," she laughed.

Clara unconsciously put her left hand onto Emily's right forearm. "This is going to be a nightmare," she sighed.

Emily looked down at Clara linking arms with her, a little taken aback, not used to walking like this for a very long time.

"I actually cannot look him in the eye after last night," Clara groaned.

"Was it worth it?" Emily said, still watching Clara's hand on her.

"Oh yeah," smirked Clara, lightening up a bit as she remembered what they had been doing, "completely totally one hundred percent worth it. I just really hope he doesn't ask why we were in the shower so long earlier..." Emily laughed lightly.

The Doctor paced back towards them. "Come on," he hurried them along, "I've seen glaciers move quicker than you two." He walked behind, pushing them both forwards by their shoulders.

Emily smiled back at Clara, half laughing. "I bet he would love to know what we were doing," she said wryly, loudly enough for the Doctor to hear.

"What the hell?" Clara breathed, digging her in the ribs with her left elbow. They had just passed where they had managed to get to yesterday before they started arguing. "Will you please shut up," she whispered loudly, feeling herself blushing.

"Love to know what?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh nothing," Emily said smiling. "We were just talking about-"

"Stop," Clara snapped, unwilling to find out what Emily was going to say. "God this is embarrassing."

"Why are you embarassed?" the Doctor asked, looking around. "Did I offend someone by accident again? Do you need to give me one of your cards?"

Clara sighed loudly as they began to approach a row of shops past the edge of the university grounds. "No, because of what happened this morning," she clarified.

"What happened this morning?" the Doctor asked, "oh you mean the no clothes thing? Or the bruises? Or the painfully hot shower you were taking? You'll have to be more specific, Clara..."

Emily burst out laughing. "This is hilarious," she said unable to keep a straight face.

"All of the above," Clara said under her breath. "Can you just leave it," she pleaded with him.

"Oh, it's OK," the Doctor dismissed, "nothing I haven't seen before."

"What?!" said Emily, looking at Clara.

"I'm sorry?!" Clara reacted, stopping still. "Please tell me you haven't... oh great... as if this day could not get any worse... What do you mean, it's nothing you haven't seen before? Explain," she said to the Doctor, glaring at him.

"I thought you said nothing had happened between you," said Emily, to Clara.

"It hasn't," Clara answered quickly.

"Oh," the Doctor said flippantly, moving around in front of her, "I didn't mean you per ce, Clara-"

"Thank god for that," Clara said, relieved.

"- I mean, there's River-" he started.

"Who's River?" Emily asked Clara.

"His wife," said Clara, "you'll know her if you meet her, very big hair and usually pointing a gun at someone-"

"Right," Emily nodded, looking perplexed.

"- and the night I was with Madame Du Pompador, and we all saw that scene in Titanic when she, you know," he paused, searching for the word, indicating his body, "divests."

"I'm glad you have cleared that up," Clara said, sarcastically. "Thanks." Every atom in her body felt uncomfortable.

Emily smirked widely, trying to contain laughter. They walked along in silence for a few minutes.

"Where is breakfast?" asked the Doctor as they approached a road junction.

"Go left," said Emily.

The Doctor paced away out of earshot.

"If I didn't feel sick earlier, I really do now," Clara said quietly.

"It's ok," Emily smiled. "I think it's funny."

"Well, I'm glad my discomfort is providing you with such entertainment," Clara sneered.

"Oh give it a rest," Emily replied, "so he caught you in bed after we were shagging each other all night, so what? It could have been a lot worse... I once walked in on my own fucking twin sister having actual sex," Emily paused, "that was embarrassing."

"Really?" Clara said, surprised, letting out a small laugh.

"Really," Emily nodded.

"I bet that was... awkward," Clara observed.

"Not at all," Emily said sarcastically.

"Ahhh, Joe's Diner!" announced the Doctor, interrupting them. "Is this it?" He surveyed the interior through the window. It was half full of people, there looked to be a large number of students inside.

"Yes," nodded Emily, pushing the door open to enter.

"Look Clara," he said brightly, following Emily, "an American diner, how exciting!" He held the door open for her as Emily spoke to the waitress.

"Yeah, I suppose," Clara said quietly, still unable to look at his face without blushing. She sighed to herself, lowering her head as she stepped inside, knowing this was going to be uncomfortable and just wanting it to be over as quickly as possible.


	15. Chapter 15

Emily had been shown to a red four seater booth near the back of the diner by a platinum blonde waitress wearing a baby blue and white uniform. She sat on the far right and the Doctor sat opposite her. They both looked back at her as she made a decision who to sit next to.

"Of course," Clara said to herself, sitting next to Emily, leaving the Doctor looking straight at her. She was still struggling to make eye contact with him, feeling herself blushing as his eyes met hers. Clara saw Emily smirking back at the Doctor out of the corner of her eye.

The waitress all but skipped over, set down a menu in front of each of them. "Hello and welcome to Joe's," she said before disappearing off back to the counter. She was chewing gum and was forcing a smile. Her name badge announced her name as 'Brandy'.

"Ahhh yes," the Doctor said, breaking the silence, "a menu! Look Clara," he turned it round to show her, pointing, "it's even got pictures! I do love a menu with pictures! You always know where you stand." He held it in front of his eyes, scanning the items.

"Yes, Ok," said Clara, distracting herself looking at her own menu, "if you say so."

"Well, this is nice," Emily smiled, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Of course it is," Clara said sarcastically, not looking up, "not awkward in the slightest." She flipped through the laminated sheets of the menu nonchalantly as the three of them sat in silence for a few minutes.

The waitress suddenly appeared to Clara's left, "so..." she said overly happily, looking at them all over whilst chewing. Clara estimated she was wearing more makeup than everyone else in the place, "what can I get you guys?" She was clasping a small paper pad, she knelt down to lean on the table.

"I'll have pancakes, egg and bacon," said Emily, still laughing to herself, "and... a chocolate milkshake."

"Ok, so one lumberjack," said Brandy, writing down as she spoke with a blue marker pen, "and for you sweetie?" she said aiming her gaze at Clara.

"I, umm," Clara paused, unable to decide and the situation curbing her appetite, "french toast and vanilla milkshake."

"French toast," Brandy muttered, scribbling. "and for you sir?"

"Sir?" the Doctor looked at her incredulous, "why are you calling me sir?" He creased his eyebrows. "Do you know me?" he whispered. "You don't work for UNIT do you?"

Brandy looked confused, chewing her gum a few times, "no..."

"If you do," he lowered his eyes, "I'm very impressed, what an excellent cover-"

"I'm sorry, sir," Brandy said perplexed, "I don't understand?"

Clara sighed, rubbing her forehead. "She was just being polite, that's all," she said under her breath.

"Oh," he said, realising, "I see," he nodded and then smiled widely at Clara. "I see, she's just a pudding brain-"

"What do you want?" Brandy asked, backing away from him.

Clara looked towards Emily and rolled her eyes, Emily mouthed the word 'wow' back at her.

"Blueberry pancakes and coke float," the Doctor snapped, "if it's not too much trouble."

Brandy looked back at him, about to say something before she collected the menus with a scowl and walked slowly off, aiming a narrow stare at the Doctor, chewing gum.

The Doctor continued watching her, "there's no need to be so rude, is there?" he pointed. "Good job I'm not masquerading as a mystery shopper today or Joe would be getting quite a nasty surprise." He threaded his fingers and put them on the table in front of him.

Clara aimed a glare at him, before realising she was still too embarrassed to look in his direction. "Yeah," she said blankly.

"Hopefully the service is quick," said the Doctor, "we," he pointed to Clara and back to his own chest, "have to try and fix the TARDIS, she doesn't like being ill, Clara."

"No-one likes being ill," said Emily, smiling as she went along with him.

"Exactly," the Doctor, holding out his palm towards Emily, "and we've been here almost two days and done nothing."

"I've been busy-" said Clara, blushing.

"I don't know about you but I've had a very productive weekend," Emily said, grinning.

"Shut up," whispered Clara, elbowing her in the ribs with her right arm. "Please, shut up."

"Get lots of studying done, did you?" the Doctor asked her blankly. "Glad you are taking your education seriously. You could take some inspiration Clara."

"Are you being sarcastic or not? I can't tell," Emily asked, trying to work him out.

"Why would I be... being sarcastic?" the Doctor creased his eyebrows, looking at her suspiciously.

"Because I'm blatantly lying to you," Emily said matter-of-factly, "we all know what I've...we've... well me and her have been doing, don't we?" She raised an eyebrow at him, folding her arms.

"Hang on," Clara said, turning to face Emily and then the Doctor, "why are you two conversing now? Have I missed something?" she sighed loudly, "because you have barely exchanged two words to each other whilst I've been with you, and now you're both staring each other down and talking to each other, you," she pointed at Emily, "are goading him in a way that, frankly, only I can do, and you," she pointed at the Doctor, "seem to be suddenly very suggestible to anything she," she pointed back at Emily, "demands." She narrowed her eyes at each of them in turn, raising her voice, "what's going on?"

"Sorry to interrupt," said Brandy as she arrived with their drinks, purposefully not looking at the Doctor. "Here you go," she said to Clara and Emily, setting down the two milkshakes, smiling at them. She all but dropped the glass containing the coke float on the table. There were various looks going between the three of them.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, inspecting the drink. "Hmm, is this what I ordered?"

"You're welcome sweetie," Brandy said with more sarcasm than Clara had ever heard anyone use before. She didn't register him on the way towards the counter.

"A coke float," Emily said, laughing, "where are you from? Like, the seventies?"

"I'm from Gallifrey," he replied. "You can't be from a decade." He dug out a red and white straw from his pocket and put it into the drink.

"I think you'll find she was still being sarcastic," Clara said. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question, why are you two being all dramatic with each other? Tell me. Now."

"Oh," Emily smiled, "it's nothing really." She took a sip of the drink.

"Is this about our chat earlier?" the Doctor said, grimacing as he drank with the straw. "Too fizzy," he said.

"When earlier?" Clara asked loudly. "Earlier for you means any time before now," she groaned. "Emily, I suggest you tell me what the hell is going on between you two or-"

"Or what? You'll turn your eyes on?" Emily laughed at her. "Slap me so hard I regenerate?"

"Too late," the Doctor said, not looking up, watching other diners, indicating his eyes, "they've already activated. Although curiously not at me, not used to that-"

"My eyes will... activate if you do not tell me what is going on!" she said loudly, unable to deal with not knowing.

Emily smirked widely at her. "I'd forgotten how hot you get when you're angry."

"Shut up," she said playfully derisively.

"I asked what you," the Doctor pointed at Clara, "and you," he pointed at Emily, "we're doing."

"Why would you do that?" Clara asked, creasing her eyebrows. "What difference does it make?"

"It makes a lot of difference, Clara," he replied, holding out his hand.

"He asked me why I wasn't with my last one," Emily pointed out.

"Sensitive," Clara said sarcastically.

"And then he said," Emily paused, "what were his exact words? That you got... very upset in a graveyard-"

"Upset in a graveyard," Clara interrupted. "Upset in a graveyard?!" she said loudly, "that is quite possibly the worst way you could explain what happened," she glared at him. "I was not upset in a graveyard, I have never been upset in a graveyard and if I had been upset in a graveyard it would probably have been related to the fact that was the last time I saw Danny, but I suppose that was not an important detail because you weren't doing anything impressive." She stopped to breathe, upset but not crying.

The Doctor started to say something but stopped himself. She knew that look. She knew he was sorry but couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Nothing to say to me?" Clara said to the Doctor. Emily was watching her curiously.

"Clara," the Doctor forced out.

"You know what," Clara said, having had this conversation many times before, waving her hand, "save it. Let's just have this awkward breakfast and then get on with the rest of the day."

"Really?" said Emily creasing her eyebrows, "not going to pin him to a wall or slap him or," she laughed once, "impale him on a chair leg? Seems very unlikely."

"Why would she impale me on a chair leg?" the Doctor asked, "I've known her for years, she does not do things like that. The slapping? Well, yes, I'll give you that one, but the pinning to the wall and the impaling?" He shook his head. "No."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Emily smirked, saying under her breath, "she is certainly very proficient in pinning me up against a wall." She folded her arms, grinning to herself.

"I told you to shut up," Clara said sternly, as she pushed Emily away.

"Did you upset her too?" the Doctor asked, pointing at Emily.

"No," Emily laughed, pushing Clara off her, "we were busy-"

"Say another word," Clara said loudly, glaring at her, "and that chair leg will be aimed at you next time."

Emily smirked back at her cheekily, she could tell she was trying to wind her up. She raised her eyebrow, daring her to do it.

"Is that what people are doing these days?" the Doctor asked. "Because there was this whole spate of chair impalement at your school a few weeks ago-"

"Was there?" Clara said, putting her hand through her hair. "Didn't hear about it."

"Are you sure?" the Doctor said, "Miss Bright was quite shaken after her encounter-"

"Miss Bright," Clara sneered, "probably deserved it."

"Do you not care about her? I thought you were friends?" the Doctor said, "you were very friendly at the work do-"

"We are definitely not friends," Clara snapped. "Friends do not take naked pictures of their friend and post them on the Internet without the other friend knowing."

"Oh come on, it was her," Emily laughed before drinking her milkshake.

"What was?" the Doctor said.

"Threatening that teacher with the chair," Emily tilted her head towards Clara, "it was her."

"Really?" the Doctor said, surprised. "No..." he shook his head at Emily.

Brandy arrived carrying the three plates of food in one go. "Here you go," she said, chewing intently, interrupting them. "Enjoy," she aimed at Clara and Emily as she set the dishes down and slowly stalked back to the counter.

Clara grabbed some cutlery and a napkin from the pot in the centre of the table, not meeting the Doctor's intense stare she presumed he was giving her as an awkward silence hung in the air. Emily was looking between them, just moving her eyes, the smallest of grins covering her lips. Clara cut off an edge of the French toast, prodded it with her fork and was about to put it into her mouth when the Doctor spoke.

"Is that it?" the Doctor asked. "You're expecting me to find out that you almost attacked another teacher at your school and just eat breakfast?" he said blankly. "What have I turned you into?" he exhaled loudly, leaning back into the red leather chair.

"You haven't turned me into anything," Clara said quickly, dropping her fork with the toast still attached loudly onto the plate. She looked at him directly, rubbing her head. "I was angry, OK?" she continued loudly. "I was angry, and she deserved it," she said looking at her hands.

"This is like the Viking village all over again, isn't it?" the Doctor folded his arms, annoyed. "Clara, look at me."

Clara lifted her head, aiming her eyes just above his head. "This is nothing like the Viking village," she said in a loud whisper.

"What happened in the Viking village?" asked Emily as she was cutting up a pancake.

"You're not a killing machine, you're not a fighter," he reeled off, holding his right palm up in her direction, "you're not a violent person," he paused, scratching his chin, "at least you never used to be, but since Danny died-"

"Please do not bring him into this," Clara snapped, talking over him.

"- you have started to turn into all these things," he continued, "not to mention your excessive drinking-"

"Excessive drinking?!" Clara repeated incredulous. "What the hell-"

Emily laughed once, "she's a complete lightweight, what are you talking about?" she reacted, "if you think she's bad you'll love my sister..."

"- the swearing," the Doctor continued, "and not to mention the whole getting drunk and canoodling with strangers the first time you meet them-"

"Wow, OK," said Clara, picking up her fork, "you are really going there," she nodded, trying to control her temper. She put the fork to her lips and ate the morsel of toast, giving her a few seconds to think. She swallowed the mouthful, wiping her lips with the nearby napkin, nodding. "Just before I go on," she said normally, "can I just say... that French toast is absolutely delicious."

"I know, right?" said Emily in agreement, she smiled. "Love this place."

The Doctor continued watching her, not moving, arms still folded.

Clara inhaled, snapping her eyes to the Doctor. "Let me just address a few issues that you seem to be missing here," Clara began, "first of all, I am not an excessive drinker," she echoed his earlier tone, "OK, yes, admittedly last night, I was drinking excessively, but only because you told me you'd been back in time and done a... a... time check on Danny," her voice raised volume every few words, "and I was upset. And yes, I don't need you to remind me that I got drunk and passed out outside that club and something could have happened to me, but it didn't, we have been in numerous dangerous situations where I could have been attacked... remember when the Sheriff of Nottingham captured me? Something very bad could have-"

"The Sheriff of Nottingham?" Emily said, choking on her food, putting her right fist to her mouth. She coughed and took a sip of milkshake. "Fuck off," she said recovering herself.

Clara and the Doctor both turned to look at Emily, concerned.

"Oh, hang on, don't tell me," she laughed, coughing once to clear her throat, "you were Maid Marion." She took a large glug of milkshake, smiling at them both.

"No," the Doctor answered, "she wasn't." He picked up his cutlery and began eating the pancakes.

"But I easily could have been," Clara corrected him, "if I'd wanted to. He gave me an archery lesson, you know," she said triumphantly.

"Is there much call for archery these days?" Emily asked, clearing her throat gently. "Part of the curriculum is it?"

"Shut up," Clara said playfully, narrowing her eyes at Emily, unable to resist a small smile in reaction. "My point was," she looked back at the Doctor, "whilst you were off gallivanting with Robin Hood fighting him..." she paused for effect, folding her arms, "with a dessert spoon, I was almost made his personal consort against my will, if it wasn't for my excellent skills in being able to avoid unwanted male attention it could have ended up very differently..." she paused for breath, "so please don't give me a lecture on not being safe, I got drunk, fine, but if I hadn't felt safe I wouldn't have. And besides, the first time we," she winced at the word, "canoodled, I'd technically known her for almost two weeks, so I knew what I was doing."

"Did he really do that?" said the Doctor, clearly taken aback. "You never told me."

"Yes," Clara shuddered. "Whatever the female version of Sheriff is... Sheriffess? I was almost that." She was being a bit liberal with the truth, but decided to keep that to herself.

"And as for Miss Bright," Clara added, cutting up some more toast, picking it up with the fork, "I don't think she'll be a problem again."

"You apparently threatened to remove three parts of her anatomy," the Doctor said, creasing her eyebrows, "that really doesn't sound like you. I mean you once threatened to detach something from me... but I've been racking my brains to what the third thing would be... and I've got nothing."

"Err... that wasn't me," said Clara, creasing her eyebrows, confused. "I have no idea why she's going around-" Clara stopped herself, remembering something, turning to look sideways at Emily on her right, saying slowly, "saying that."

Emily raised an eyebrow back at Clara, facing her, not saying anything.

"Seriously?" Clara asked, not sure if she was impressed or horrified.

Emily smirked back towards her.

"I don't know where she got that from," said Clara, looking back at the Doctor, "sounds like she's making it up." Clara continued eating in silence, stealing a few occasional glances back at Emily, trying to stop herself laughing.

Emily finished off her breakfast and pushed the plate away from her. "Doctor?"

"Yes, Bitey?" he replied after finishing his mouthful.

"What happened in the Viking village?" Emily asked, a look of curiosity spreading across her face.


	16. Chapter 16

"In layman's or rather," the Doctor paused, saying patronisingly, "lay... woman's terms... the Mire tried to invade and we defeated them with some electric eels and a large wooden dragon."

"Right," Emily paused, not getting the answer she was expecting. "I mean what happened with her," Emily clarified, tilting her head towards Clara.

"Errr..." he looking up to the ceiling, clearly thinking before suddenly smiling and holding out his hand, "she put the Benny Hill theme on the background of a video-"

"Wow," Clara said sarcastically, finishing her mouthful, "glad I made such a large contribution."

"Really?" Emily looked impressed, "my your technological skills have improved," she laughed.

"Thanks," Clara said blankly.

"If you haven't forgotten Clara," he replied curtly, "the whole reason we ended up there was because I went out to wipe my boot after saving you from having your brains sucked out by a love sprite."

"After you left me floating out in deep space," Clara snapped.

"You almost had your," Emily creased her eyebrows, "brains sucked out whilst floating in space?"

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed, "she'd be dead if it wasn't for my excellent materialisation skills."

"Doesn't sound very safe," Emily said, concerned, looking at Clara.

"It wasn't," the Doctor said unaffected whilst cutting up the last pancake on his plate.

"I thought you just went around looking at stuff," Emily said quietly, "I didn't realise it was dangerous." She chipped some varnish off her nails.

"Oh, don't be silly," Clara said wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin, trying to reassure her, "it's not dangerous-"

"I prefer the word," the Doctor paused for dramatic effect, "exciting."

"When you said 'it's like the Viking village all over again' what did you mean?" Emily asked directly.

"She told me-" the Doctor started.

"I said," Clara exhaled loudly, wishing to change the subject, "I would get involved in a large fight to save the occupants of said village and he didn't want me to. End of story."

"A fight?" Emily said raising an eyebrow, "a fight with Vikings? For fuck's sake..."

"In the end we didn't have to," the Doctor said, distracted, "I found the electric eels, I came up with a frankly astonishing plan and we tricked them into thinking an inanimate wooden dragon was a this massive monster," the Doctor indicated a large object with his hands, smiling, "and the most dangerous warrior race in the galaxy defeated by-"

"What the fuck?" Emily said quickly, "the most dangerous warrior race in the galaxy? Not sure how I feel about that..."

"Yes," the Doctor said, still smiling, "defeated by some farmers, a teenage storyteller, a schoolteacher, a blacksmith... a baby... and," he dusted his jacket down, "me. Rather dashing, don't you think?"

"Dashing?" Clara couldn't help but laugh finishing off the French toast, "not quite the word I would use. Half the village was killed, remember, I was there." She moved her plate away from her.

"Well, maybe If you had reigned your friend in a little bit-" the Doctor began.

"My friend?" Clara laughed once, looking to her left and right, giving him an intense stare. "I'd known her for about half an hour when she declared war on them, not me, if you want someone to blame... blame her!"

"You knew this one," he pointed at Emily, "for less than twelve hours before you were off canoodling-"

"Excuse me?" said Emily loudly as a reaction.

"What?" snapped Clara.

"- if you go on that scale of calculation it's perfectly feasible for two people to be off starting wars within half an hour," the Doctor said, pointing at her. "I've known you for years and I've-"

"Seriously?" Clara said, incredulous, "that is the most..." she increased the volume, "ridiculous," she paused, returning speak in a harsh quick whisper, folding her arms and leaning forward, "thing you have ever said." She couldn't help but think he was actually, on reflection, raising a good point.

"And who is this... she?" said Emily, raising an eyebrow, looking away momentarily.

Clara sighed, rubbing her head. "Her name's Ashildr, she died during the whole wooden dragon fight thing."

"Oh," said Emily, "I see."

"Come to think of it," the Doctor said, sighing, "I should have guessed then, shouldn't I?"

"Guessed what?" Clara said, arms still folded, "that you're are currently being very... very rude and that I am very... very uncomfortable?"

"No Clara!" he said brightly, "you said you'd fight me for Ashildr," he aimed his eyes at Emily, "clearly have quite the type, don't you?" He grinned, pulling his face towards Emily's. "Young, brown hair, this one's slightly taller and a bit older but-"

Emily choked on another sip of milkshake. "What? You told me you hadn't-"

Clara felt her blood immediately begin to boil as she put her hands down heavily on the table, she started to verbalise something as Brandy arrived to take their plates. She settled for giving him a narrow stare, shaking her head silently

"Everything OK here?" Brandy said between loud chews. She took what felt like an age to collect up the crockery and cutlery before scuttling off.

"Doctor," Clara said sternly, keeping her eyes on him, "for the sake of everybody around this table I suggest you do not say anything else," she hissed.

"Did anything," Emily asked quietly, "you know... happen with her?"

"No," Clara snapped, cradling her head in her hands. "What I've said has been taken completely out of context-"

"What context do you need for, 'she's nice, I'll fight you for her!' Clara, honestly," the Doctor said with a wry smile. "In actual fact, Bitey, that is a very good question, you are good with them, aren't you? Quite a lot happened with her, actually."

"Please shut up," Clara said in a loud whisper, kicking him under the table, she looked around for Brandy, finding her nowhere to be seen. She turned her head towards Emily, trying to give her a glance the would reassure her, it was clear it wasn't working. "I met her once, OK, once! We've met a lot of people-"

"You said she died," said Emily, "must have been difficult." Clara knew the look covering Emily's face, she thought Clara was lying to her.

"It was actually," the Doctor decided to add, rubbing his leg, nodding, "heart failure... had to take a chip out of a Mire helmet and make not one battlefield medical kit... but two battlefield medical kits. Go on, go on," he waved his hand at her, "you have my permission to be impressed."

Clara aimed a glance at him that she hoped would be enough for him to stop.

"I don't understand," Emily said, confused.

"I saved her!" the Doctor said enthusiastically.

"OK," said Emily blankly.

"Are you not impressed?" the Doctor asked, raising both of his eyebrows.

"You are a doctor," Emily replied flatly, "the fact you saved someone's life it not that surprising."

"He's not an actual medical Doctor," Clara said, looking down at her now threaded fingers, "I mean, he tried to get a doctorate at Glasgow University but graduated in the wrong century, you know, as you do."

"Isn't that kind of illegal? Calling yourself a Doctor when you're not?" said Emily, creasing her forehead. "And not just a doctor... but The Doctor. How very arrogant of you."

Clara laughed loudly, she'd never even thought of this and had just accepted the fact he was the Doctor.

"Can't you be done for, like, impersonating a medical professional? Like when people impersonate police officers-" Emily continued, watching him.

Clara tried to stifle a laugh as the Doctor squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "I've never been... done... for anything so far. But going by that logic how about people pretending to be MI5 or government officials?" he said, aiming his eyes at Clara, "if so," he directed his gaze to Emily, "you'd better get saying goodbye now, she might be in for a good few decades."

Clara glared at him again. She could see Emily's mouth hanging open in surprise, turning into the smallest of smirks.

"Dessert menu?" asked Brandy, somehow moving in their direction silently, clearly picking her moment to interrupt.

"No thank you," said Clara wanting to leave and stop whatever this was now clearly morphing into. "Can we pay-"

"Yes please," said Emily, "I'll have one."

"Me too," said the Doctor. Brandy ignored him and set a menu in front of Emily before sliding away. "I will be having words with her about

"The pecan pie here is to die for, by the way," Emily mused, casually looking at the menu. "So you saved this woman?"

"Why do you want to know that?" the Doctor said, before saying in a low voice, "thinking of moving on already are you? Clara is very high maintenance isn't she? Probably scared you off, we've talked about this before-"

"High maintenance?" Clara said loudly.

"No of course not!" Emily said, "why would you think that?"

"I am not high maintenance!" Clara shouted, raising up out of her seat slightly. She could feel a vitriolic attack brewing. "This is fucking ridiculous..." she trailed off before groaning.

"I'm sure I could find her for you if I really tried," the Doctor continued at Emily, "one of the last times I saw her she was founding a leper colony, she is very very accomplished-"

"Fine," snapped Clara, needing to get away from what was happening before she said something she regretted, She stood up suddenly, leaving the table to make her way to the toilets, noticing a large neon sign directing her. She walked through the swing door and locked herself into the nearest cubicle, trying to calm her anger.


	17. Chapter 17

Clara slumped back onto the rear side of the door once she'd locked it and lowered her head.

"I can't do this," she muttered to herself, upset but not quite on the verge of crying. She ran her hands through her hair and gazed up towards the ceiling. She lowered the toilet seat and perched on it, grateful for some quiet time.

She was still very hungover, and although the breakfast had helped somewhat, she was worse for wear. The situation between her, Emily and the Doctor was beginning to get more embarrassing and awkward and it made her head hurt. She massaged her temples gently, losing herself in her own thoughts.

Clara considered the Doctor, knowing he could be rude and insensitive at any given moment but frustratingly oblivious to just how much he could offend people. She grabbed some tissue from the holder and blew her nose, still just about managing to stay tear free. She also thought about Emily, wondering if could she actually be in another relationship.

Clara heard the door to the room open loudly, staying where she was as she needed a few more minutes away.

"It's me," Emily said from the other side of the door, "come on, you can't hide in here forever!"

"Can't I?" Clara said blankly, leaning her head back onto the wall behind her, holding the tissue screwed up in her right hand. "Maybe I'll try."

"You've already been long enough for it to be an official storm out rather than using the toilet," Emily laughed.

"This," Clara started, pointing at thin air, "this breakfast, this whole thing is a whole level of uncomfortableness I have thought completely impossible. Him..." she paused for breath, "him I can deal with-"

"Bit of a prick, isn't he?" Emily interrupted.

Clara couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Emily's assessment of the situation. "Yeah," Clara eventually conceded, "he can be." Clara folded her arms, smiling.

"What's this all about?" Emily said. Clara heard her shuffling around on the other side of the door. "Is it me?"

"No," Clara snapped before she stopped herself, "no, no, of course it's not you," she sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm hungover and annoyed and-"

"When things get uncomfortable you remove yourself?" Emily finished her sentence as a question.

"What?" Clara replied, shaking her head to herself, "no, I do not... remove myself."

"Come off it," Emily said, "the Doctor says you are high maintenance and you remove yourself to the toilets for half an hour-"

"Half an hour?" Clara said incredulous, "I haven't been in here for half an hour!"

"You actually have," Emily corrected her. "I was worried you might have disappeared out a window or something," she half laughed.

"Not really my style," Clara mused, "more the Doctor's, no I prefer a good old toilet door that I can, you know, lock myself behind. And besides, I didn't complete a full on architectural survey of the surroundings," she looked towards the ceiling, "but pretty sure there are no windows in here to disappear out of."

"The longer you're in here, the more conversation you're not going to be partial to," Emily said almost sing song.

"Oh, don't get me started on you two, jesus," Clara replied, "I'd forgotten how much of a pissing competition it was between him and Danny all the time, and now you two are there staring each other out for fuck's sake." She held tilted, arms folded. "You two don't have to fight over me, you know."

"You're very paranoid," said Emily, stifling a laugh. "I don't even remember most of what he said to me last night. And besides, we all know I'd win," she sniggered, "had some fairly epic punch ups with my sister, including one in front of the whole college-."

The outer door went loudly, interrupting them. Clara was aware of someone using the cubicle to her right, she sat there in silence for a few minutes until they'd finished and had left.

"So why are you two giving each other sideways looks?" Clara asked after the door went loudly again.

"Well, there certainly isn't anything going on between me and him, if that's what you mean," Emily said, sniggering, "He's the wrong gender, old enough to be one of my distant ancestors, he's grey, arrogant, rude-"

"You know, the grey is my fault," Clara said, leaning to her right against the cubicle wall. "He used to to be younger, you know."

"Isn't he like two thousand years old? And are you that bad you turned him grey?" Emily laughed.

"He used to look early twenties, before we went to Trenzalore and-" Clara started, smiling sadly to herself.

"Where the fuck is Trenzalore?" Emily said interrupting her. "Never heard of it. It sounds very made up. Is it next to Narnia?" Clara could hear the grin.

"It's not made up," Clara sighed, "it's where his grave is. Then we ended up in some town called Christmas-"

"Christmas?! His grave?!"

"Shut up, it's real," Clara continued, "he regenerated to him outside. Long story. Should probably add in the spirit of complete transparency he pretended to be my boyfriend at Christmas dinner 2013, and turned up completely naked," she shuddered at the memory, "he flirted very uncomfortably with my gran and I had to explain it away that he was Swedish... Dad's girlfriend cannot let it go. Must be a thing that all Lindas are genetically programmed to hate me or something. Imagine if I turned up with him now? She'd wonder when I was planning to kill him off and inherit his life savings-"

"Are you fucking serious?" Emily said, clearly not convinced. "Do you ever just stop and listen to yourself?"

Clara paused, before laughing once. "No, it appears I don't."

"The next time you tell me one of your stories, can you please give me a few drinks before you do it?" Emily requested, "you might have half a chance of me believing you."

"OK, point taken," Clara nodded to herself, raising a small smile, pulling a hand through her hair.

"Since when have you taken to moping around in toilets? Honestly," Emily said.

"Since you and the Doctor have started having your own rhetoric about me that I don't know about," Clara said stubbornly.

"You think this is about you?" Emily replied curtly.

"Isn't it?" Clara stood up and leaned back against the door.

Emily exhaled loudly. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," nodded Clara, "the Doctor is kind of my person to deal with, yes, OK, admittedly, we kind of do come as some sort of weird package, I hasten to add, a completely platonic package, especially since he got those eyebrows and started dressing like a magician, but still..."

"He's jealous," Emily said quietly. "He loves you and he's jealous. I asked him, he said yes, there really is no more to it. It's more about him than you-"

"What?" Clara laughed out loud, "he's not jealous. He doesn't love me. At least not like that," she folded her arms pacing around the small cubicle, shaking her head in disbelief, "we're friends! No... no, you're wrong." She banged her right fist on the wall and felt a large amount of anger begin to flow through her body.

"And you're in denial," Emily said.

"I am not in denial," Clara snapped, immediately unlocking and throwing opening the cubicle door so it banged against the side, stepping loudly towards Emily who was leaning against the sink unit, arms folded. "You're wrong," she said loudly.

"I'm really not," Emily raised an eyebrow, "ask him yourself. How else do you think I would have got him to tell me where your fucking bedroom was?" she smirked. "I'm glad you've emerged, I was worried I was going to have to climb over or under the door or something."

"And I suppose you are completely OK with this?" said Clara loudly, hands on her hips. "You're perfectly OK with the fact the man I travel around with is professing his undying love for me? Today just keeps getting better doesn't it?" she practically shouted, waving her hand, turning around. She threw the tissue in her right hand into the nearby bin.

"I am actually OK with it," Emily grinned, "I was hoping to string it out for a lot longer and get a few more breakfasts or some free space money."

"Seriously?" Clara reflected, spinning around to stand in front of Emily, arms folded. "Is that all you care about?"

"Pretty much, yeah, breakfast and money. And alcohol. Can I add that to the list?"

Clara pushed Emily playfully on the chest, "shut up," she rolled her eyes, exhaling.

"I'm 24, and a student, what other things would I be interested in?" she laughed. "And besides, did I mention 24?"

"Yes you did," Clara exhaled slightly, smiling as she gazed to Emily's right, "very... soft skin." She shuddered her shoulders before looking back at Emily sideways.

Emily put two fingers towards her mouth, indicating being sick ."Could you at least not tell him I've told you? Might be very beneficial for me," Emily laughed, pausing, "do you think he would get me some fags if I ask him? Do they do duty free in space?"

"I feel like you aren't really taking this whole thing seriously," Clara said , her annoyance easing.

"It's funny," Emily replied, watching Clara with a smile on her face. "It's sweet in a way. As long as you're not planning on shagging him-"

"Are you actually fucking asking me that?" Clara snapped surprised. "Of course I'm not planning on sleeping with him!" she said, incredulous. "Have you seen those eyebrows? They'd probably attack me first!"

"He'd probably have a heart attack first," Emily mused under her breath, putting her hands in her back pockets.

"Actually," Clara tilted her head, "he probably wouldn't," she pointed at her chest, looking up, "two hearts."

"Two hearts?! You have got to be shitting me," Emily instantly reacted. "Why does he, why does anyone need two hearts?" Emily paused, "is it an age thing? Is one of them reserved for his love of you?" she tried to contain laughter, "or... does he love you with both of them?"

"Are you going to shut up?" Clara said sternly, folding her arms.

"I kind of need to know whether it's one or two heart love going on, maybe I'll ask him the next time I need to find your room to have a late night drunk sex session," Emily stopped before bursting out in laughter.

"Good luck with that if you don't shut up," Clara playfully threatened.

"OK, OK," Emily held her hands up in mock surrender.

"Thank you," Clara said. She washed and dried her hands, inspecting her eyes in the mirror.

"So are you ready to go back in? We've been out here for like almost an hour," Emily smiled. "Don't want your boyfriend to get worried."

"For the last time he's not my boyfriend," Clara said blankly as she removed a stray blob of mascara from the corner of her eye. .

"Glad you've cleared that up for me," Emily grinned, leaning her left side against the wall to watch her, arms folded.

"Traded him in for a much much much younger female model a few weeks ago, didn't I?" Clara said deadpan.

"Sounded like a very easy choice," Emily said, reflecting Clara's tone, "and a good decision."

"Oh yeah," Clara said, slightly distracted, before smiling cheekily, displaying her dimples. "Yeah..." she trailed off, her mind wandering as she put her right hand on Emily's upper chest, unconsciously wanting to kiss her.

"Not in here, I do have some fucking standards," Emily turned her head away, as if reading her mind, reflecting a similar look back to her, "think we can ditch granddad on the way back?"

"Definitely," Clara nodded, "leave it with me." She opened the door back into the diner, walking to the table, smiling to herself.

"Oh there you two are," the Doctor said loudly as Clara shuffled across the booth seat towards the wall, followed by Emily a second after, "you've returned just as I was about to send a search party." He smiled at them. "You ladies like to take your time, don't you?"

"How very observant," Clara said sarcastically, still a little annoyed with him. "We were talking-"

"I was beginning to think maybe there was a stolen TARDIS in there or something." He was finishing off the last few crumbs of a dessert.

"A toilet," Clara paused for effect, "that's bigger on the inside," she said, deadpan, "inside an American diner. Don't be so ridiculous." She laughed loudly.

"I also hoped you might have started saying goodbye to each other already-" the Doctor started. "We need to get fixing-"

"In a toilet?" Clara creased her eyebrows, folding her arms, saying loudly, "really Doctor? What the hell do you take me for?"

Clara noticed Emily form the smallest of smiles in the corner of her mouth.

"You," she said sternly to Emily, pointing at her on the left but not looking in her direction, "don't even think about it."

Emily coughed to disguise a small laugh, picking up her chocolate milkshake glass from in front of Clara, sipping at the dregs until it made a sharp rattling sound. "Appears I've finished."

"Oh really?" Clara said, raising her eyebrow. "I bet you have." She picked up her glass.

"She's finished," the Doctor said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, throwing it on the empty plate. "I've finished. Just waiting for you now." He looked at her expectantly. "We have some time crystals to rescue from the upper floor and something in the immediate locale to the TARDIS keeps leeching energy and time away, keeping her broken, we'd be done already if it wasn't for that." He threaded his fingers on the table in front of him.

Clara sipped her remaining drink slowly, not knowing if he was referring to Emily or an actual thing. She stared at him, trying to figure it out.

Emily was about to say something but then suddenly squirmed in her seat, retrieving her battered phone from the back pocket. "Oh shit, I need to take this," Emily said. Clara noticed it said 'Mum' on the screen. "Pass me my fags," she said at Clara, standing up. "Jacket."

Clara felt in the pockets of Emily's coat for the small box of cigarettes and handed it over.

"Thanks," she said, answering the phone and cradling it under her left ear as she walked outside, pulling out a cigarette and holding it in her left hand to put the box in her back pocket. "Hi mum, sorry I was busy..." she started before going out of earshot outside. Clara watched as she lit the cigarette and went out of view.

"Good, now we've got rid of her..." the Doctor began. "Let's go." He looked around, "where's whiskey?"

"Something around the immediate locale to the TARDIS leeching time and energy?" Clara folded her arms. "Subtle."

"Isn't it? I've located it in an outbuilding near where Bitey is staying," he replied.

"Hang on," Clara paused, "so there actually is a thing here?"

"Yes Clara, and if you weren't so busy having all of your energy leeched off by Bitey for hours at a time maybe you'd have noticed." He had the hint of a wry smile. "Anywhere, where's whisky? Thingy?" he waved his hand, "the rude waitress?"

Clara blushed at him. "Brandy?"

"No thanks, don't like it, didn't think you did?" the Doctor said, "full of surprises these days aren't you? I met Napoleon once- "

"No Doctor," Clara corrected him, "her name... is Brandy." She finished her drink.

"Oh, I see," he realised. "Those dark spirits they all look the same, don't they?" He turned around to wave at the waitress.

"Please don't say that too loud... just get the bill," she indicated, "use your... space money," she laughed.

Brandy sauntered over a few minutes later with the bill, ignoring the Doctor completely. Clara glanced it over, noticing the $50 total was higher than she had expected based on what they'd ordered. She laughed quietly to herself remembering the countless times she had done it herself to rude customers when she worked in a bar during the summer of 2007 .

The Doctor fished in his inside pocket and retrieved a crisp $100 note and set it down on the printed receipt. "Will this cover it?" he said to Clara, not looking down.

"Just," Clara laughed as she watched Brandy's eyes immediately light up. "Tell her to keep the change as an apology for being rude earlier."

"Err, OK," the Doctor, "what she said." The Doctor pointed at Clara. She knew he would never admit to being wrong.

"Yes sir... apology accepted," Brandy looked at them with her mouth open, quickly swiping the note and disappearing out the back, presumably to squeal loudly and work out what sort of shoes she could invest in.

They stood up to leave, Clara pulled on her coat, bringing Emily's with her as they went outside.


	18. Chapter 18

"So then," the Doctor said, doing up the buttons on his coat as they left the building, "now you are suitably recovered and we've got rid of your friend, let's go and find us some time crystals."

Clara adjusted the collar of her jacket to straighten it out, pausing to fluff her hair up gently. She spotted Emily to her right, sitting on top of a grey electricity box a couple of doors down, talking on her phone and taken intermittent drags of her cigarette.

The Doctor began strolling off in the direction of the park to go back to the TARDIS, not looking behind.

"I'll catch you up," Clara call out, rolling her eyes, knowing he was well out of earshot, she aimed herself at Emily, overhearing her talking as she approached, passing a man reading a large newspaper on the street.

"Yes... yes," Emily smiled as she approached, "ok mum, I will... I was busy OK? Fuck's sake!" She took a drag from her cigarette. "I need to go," Emily said before holding the handset away from her head as a loud voice came from the speaker.

Clara laughed to herself, leaning back against a lamppost opposite as Emily finished her phone call.

"-I'm 24 for fuck's sake, I can look after myself," Emily said, "I need to go... no of course I'm not," she creased her eyebrows. Emily shook her head at Clara playfully. "Bye mum."

Clara watched Emily hang up the call mid conversation. She finished her cigarette and stubbed it out by spinning it on the side of the grey box before dropping it casually on the ground.

"My mum," Emily laughed, "just asked if I was... mugging her off, can you believe that?"

"Mugging her off?" Clara said grinning, "how very... down with the kids."

"Where is she even getting that from?" Emily sighed, jumping down from the box, moving towards Clara. She took her coat back off her. "I bet it's my fucking brother."

"You know," Clara reflected, tilting her head, "my kids tell me I'm mugging them off all the time. I'm practically a professional mugger," she paused, "or mugger offer... or mugger offerer."

Emily laughed back at her, "whatever." She looked around, "where's the Doctor?"

Clara pointed backwards with her thumb. "Strolled off somewhere expecting me to follow him," Clara said blankly, "I'm sure he'll realise soon. So that was your mum then?" she pointed to Emily's phone in her left hand.

"Yeah," Emily nodded, "she tried to ring me whilst you were having your semi dramatic toilet meltdown." She slipped her phone into her back pocket and began walking in the vague direction of the park.

"Sorry," Clara said bashfully, putting her right hand between Emily's left arm and her body. "I was just... annoyed that's all."

"You know," Emily said, a smirk appearing on her face, as she strolled past the entrance to the park, "a few of my friends are at Markston's if you fancy a drink?"

Clara looked to her right and saw the Doctor twenty metres or so further along the concrete path, heading in the direction of the TARDIS. She held back a little, internally debating whether she should follow the Doctor. She thought back to how rude and obnoxious he was being in the restaurant, pausing. "What's Markston's? And friends... not sure I'm really in the mood to interact with other people..." she trailed off.

"Beer house I think," Emily replied, tugging Clara along with her. "Or a microbrewery, or some bollocks like that."

Clara pulled away, folding her arms, creasing her eyebrows, turning her head away slightly. "Are all of your friends going to be as hung over as we are?" she asked in a serious tone.

"Probably not," Emily laughed, putting her hands in her coat pocket. "They've been drinking since ten."

"I'm not sure-" Clara started, taking a cautious look towards the Doctor's back.

"Come on," Emily twisted the knife, grinning, "the shitty... time... crystals or whatever will still be there later." She walked the pace towards Clara and pulled her by the elbow towards her.

"OK," Clara conceded, "I hope you realise how angry he is going to be with-" she took a small glimpse back, noticing he had turned around having noticed she was not there. He was looking directly at her and had broken into something that was halfway between a jog and and sprint. "Shit! He's coming-"

"Quick, this way!" Emily said, laughing, grabbing her left hand, running quickly down the street.

Clara followed her, catching up after initially being slower. Emily lead her into a small darkened alcove on the right that carried on another ten metres before turning into a small courtyard between the buildings. Emily turned left around the corner, stopping running as she hid facing forward behind the edge of the wall. Clara went to the much smaller wall on the right, putting her back to it. She looked at Emily, who was grinning back at her.

"Do you think we've lost him?" Emily said quietly, peering around the edge, her fingers holding the corner of the wall.

"Oh yeah," Clara nodded a little out of breath, laughing, "he doesn't do running. I'm easily quicker than this one." She craned her head to the left to look around the wall, seeing nothing. "I sincerely hope this microbrewery," Clara exhaled heavily, putting her hands on her hips, "is worth it."

Emily laughed once. "Me too," she continued watching down the alcove. "If it's shit then we can go back to mine and-"

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted from some distance.

"Fuck!" Emily said quietly, laughing.

"Clara!" the Doctor bellowed, louder now.

Clara watched as he appeared at the end of the shaded section of the alcove, stopping to look around. She instinctively retreated to put her back on the wall. Emily had noticed a second later, pulling away, removing her hand. She snapped her eyes to Clara's, smirking.

"Clara! Where are you?!" the Doctor shouted as if he was calling back a dog.

The echo made it clear he was very close to them. Clara heard a few footsteps in the alcove, looking at Emily, putting her index finger to her lips, stifling a laugh. Emily grinned back at her. She took a cheeky quick look down the alcove, seeing the Doctor stood facing away from them a few feet away, so close she could easily have tapped him on the shoulder. She instantly put her back to the wall again, pointing, having to forcibly stop herself laughing. A loud noise came from one of the nearby open windows.

The Doctor cleared his throat loudly.

Emily pointed back with raised eyebrows, in the same direction. Clara nodded. Emily poked her head around the corner, and then silently tiptoed behind him towards Clara, smirking as she stood in front of her, snaking her hands around her waist.

'What the hell are you doing?' Clara mouthed silently.

'Shh,' Emily said mouthed, putting her index finger on Clara's lips.

"Clara!" the Doctor said loudly. He appeared to Clara's left, looking around the courtyard, mercifully not looking in their direction. He paced a little further down, inspecting the black metal fire escapes.

Emily nodded at her and went silently out of the alcove, taking Clara with her by the hand. They emerged onto the street and turned right, walking very briskly, giggling to each other. "Shit," Emily said as they jogged across the road, still holding hands, "that was close!" Emily took the first road on the left.

"How did you know he was going to do that?" Clara asked.

"Had enough practice hiding I was smoking or doing drugs or being a lesbian or having a life from my mum and my sister," Emily grinned, "if you think the Doctor's bad, wait until you meet them."

"He is going to be a nightmare later," Clara laughed. "I hope you realise how much trouble I'm going to be in."

"That really sounds like a problem for future you to deal with," Emily said, continuing down the street, slowing down a little to draw level with Clara. "Present you wants to come for a drink with me."

"Oh really?" Clara said, raising her eyebrows, "does she now?" She looked behind her, there was no sign of the Doctor.

"Yes, she does," Emily smirked, noticing her distraction, saying playfully, "because she might get a quick shag in the toilets of Markston's."

"Yes..." Clara agreed vaguely before realising what she'd said, "sorry..." she paused, "what?"

"You heard me," Emily sniggered, "and you've just agreed to it, so... it looks like current Emily is in for a good afternoon."

"Shut up," Clara aimed her right elbow at Emily's ribs as they walked along the pavement. "Really not my style."

"Half an hour ago when you were ready to jump on me says otherwise," Emily replied quickly with a raised eyebrow, smirking. She turned them towards a street on the left.

"I think you're confused," Clara said blushing, "never had sex in a toilet in my life." She saw a sign for 'Markston's' fifty metres further down, presuming this was where they were heading.

"And I thought you were supposed to be an excellent liar," Emily observed wryly. Clara laughed bashfully in a reply. "Anyway, we're here," Emily stopped, pointing up.

Clara suddenly felt a pang of nerves, slowing down, unsure if she was ready to meet a collection of Emily's friends. "Stop, stop," she said as Emily almost had her hand on the door handle. "Wait-"

"What?" Emily said, hanging back, "what's the matter?"

"I'm not sure I want to-" Clara started, before stopping herself. She exhaled, looking down at the floor momentarily, she looked into the distance, focussing her attention on a man reading an unfeasibly large newspaper on a bench on the opposite side of the road. "I'm nervous, OK?"

"OK," Emily nodded, "but there really is nothing to worry about, this is all really chilled, they're already pissed." She stood in front of Clara, putting her hands on Clara's upper arms and rubbing them, "It's just a couple of drinks," she said, moving a few strands of Clara's hair out of her eyes with her right hand, "but if you want to go back to your time crystals-"

"Hang on," Clara laughed gently, looking at Emily, "I didn't say that." She exhaled and nodded. "Go on then."

Emily smiled, pulling her close for a gentle kiss on the lips. Clara closed her eyes, immediately feeling butterflies in her stomach, she kissed her back, putting her right hand up to the side of Emily's neck, putting her thumb in the crease of her chin. Emily pulled Clara's waist towards her, in a kiss that continued increasing in its intensity until they were interrupted a few moments later by a number of loud jeers, causing them both to stop suddenly and turn and look in the direction of the noise. It was coming from a balcony in front of Clara two floors up. Three people, a man and two women, were hanging out of it, pointing at them, laughing and whistling.

"Fuck off," Emily turned her head to shout loudly at the group, "all of you," holding the middle finger of her right hand at them as she returned to kiss Clara briefly, laughing. She pulled away putting her forehead on Clara's shoulder resigned, "so my friends... I think they've seen us."

"Really?" Clara said sarcastically, still a little in shock, seeing the group disappear from the window.

"I guess that means we have to go in now," Emily looked at her, smiling. "Good job they stopped us really," she reflected, not moving away, "might have done something not entirely appropriate in public if you'd carried on kissing me like that," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" Clara blushed slightly, unable to resist a cheeky grin, "Like what?"

Emily leant in and whispered something into Clara's ear that would probably lead to them being arrested in public. Clara breathed in, mouth open as she continued, heartbeat increasing, face flushed, biting her lip slightly as Emily pulled away, reading the unmistakeable look of pride covering Emily's face.

"Jesus, Emily" Clara breathed. "That," she swallowed hard, "th- that is..." she struggled to find words as Emily walked away, opening the door to the bar. "Very... very inappropriate," she exhaled, noticing once she could focus that Emily was holding the door open waiting for her.

"You coming then?" Emily called over, eyebrows raised, smiling one sidedly.

Clara walked over, pointing at Emily's face. "You," she said sternly, wanting to tell her off, "you are," she softened her tone, still pointing, "totally doing that to me later." She put her hand on the centre of Emily's chest briefly as she entered the bar, walking in front.

Emily laughed to herself, following after a moment of appreciating Clara's rear profile with a tilted head. "Yes," she sighed, "I am."


	19. Chapter 19

Clara glanced back towards Emily with a cheeky grin as she let the door close behind her, unsure where to go, heading in the direction of a set of rickety looking wood and scaffolding pole stairs to her right.

The bar was packed full of students, many sat on wooden barrels, metal beer kegs and repurposed car tyres. The surroundings looked distinctively unfit for its function as a bar, exposed steel structural supports broke up the ground and first floor and it had a resounding noise of chatter echoing in the air.

Clara hung back to let Emily go up the stairs first as a tall man passed them holding a tray of empty glass jam jars with handles and metal beakers. She followed to the first floor, hearing a roudy cheer as Emily emerged onto the landing.

"Hey babes!" said an enthusiastic male voice out of Clara's view.

"Hi," said Emily as a tall thin dark haired man wearing a fitted light yellow polo shirt, jeans and loafers engulfed her in a light hug before pulling away.

Clara saw the man and two women she hadn't met before sat around a small wooden crate being used as a table. There were enough empty glasses to indicate they had been drinking for quite some time and that the service was questionable. The two women were looking at the screen of a phone between themselves. A couple were sat hanging cigarettes out of a nearby window on the balcony, a man was sat reading a large newspaper alone on the table behind.

"Clara," Emily turned to her, "this is Will," she pointed at the man to her left, "Jen," Emily indicated a tall thin blonde woman on her left wearing a faded long grey jumper bleached jeans, "and Sarah." She had baby pink short hair and was wearing a white vest top with a green checked shirt around her waist. They both acknowledged her mid conversation, both grinning widely before returning to point at the phone.

Clara waved, unable to stop herself blushing as she was nervous, "hello."

"I take it you're the one that robbed Emily's phone a few weeks back?" Will asked.

"Yeah," Clara laughed awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you," he said, observing her. "So what are you doing in Chicago?" he asked, "I thought you lived in London? And were a teacher?"

Clara paused, knowing this was quite an obvious question, "yes I do and I am... umm," she brought her right hand to her chin, before deciding on the most convenient lie. "School trip," she said brightly, "yes, yes, I'm on a school trip, we came to see the... umm..." Clara clicked her fingers, "umm," looking at Emily for help.

Emily crossed her arms, not entertaining Clara's uncomfortableness, the smallest of smirks tracing her face.

"You know, umm," Clara continued, having not seen any of Chicago apart from bedrooms for the last 48 hours, "well just a overview, a... general city wide overview."

"Oh I see," said Will, nodding, "did you see the silver thing?"

"Yes," Clara lied, "yes I did... very... silver, the kids loved it."

Emily laughed quietly.

"Working tomorrow ?" Will asked, beginning to mirror Emily's smirking expression.

"Umm..." Clara paused, realising this was another obvious question. "Half term?" she offered.

"Leave her alone," Emily laughed. "I told you what happened."

Clara looked towards Emily, confused, wondering how she could have provided a more suitable explanation.

"Ok ok," he conceded smiling, "I'll stop... I'm sorry," he apologised to Clara, saying quietly to Emily, "I hope you made her pay for fucking off for two weeks without saying anything?"

"Yep," Emily smiled.

"Oh god," Will's face dropped, "actually, don't tell me. I can see."

"I wasn't planning to," Emily said, still smiling.

"See what?" Clara asked nervously.

"Your neck, babes," Will looked towards her collar. "You've done a fairly good job with the concealer, I'll give you that," he laughed.

"Oh," Clara blushed bright red, immediately unsure what to say. "Thanks," she muttered.

"Get some drinks in, then," Will sat down on the nearest metal barrel, talking to Jen and Sarah. Clara caught them looking at her. "We're all thirsty," he said back with a wink. "Three jars of the original please. Thanks babes."

"Come on," said Emily, pulling Clara away, "I think it's your round." She lead her to a small bar at the back of the first floor where there a few people dotted around, waiting to be served.

"Umm..." Clara said, looking back, "I should probably go, your friends don't seem to like me very much-"

"Oh, calm down," Emily replied as they reached the bar, "it's fine, he's just playing and they're drunk, I told you."

"What the hell did you tell them that explained me disappearing for two weeks and randomly turning up here?" Clara asked in a hushed whisper.

"Oh," Emily laughed, "I told him we'd had a massive fight."

"A," Clara paused, "massive fight?"

"Yeah," Emily said, "that's what I thought was happening. I didn't need lie about that... just about how you turned up here."

"And how am I here then?" Clara creased her eyebrows.

"You were very sorry for ignoring me for two weeks," Emily said with a twinkle in her eye, "decided to buy a plane ticket and apologise in person."

"Because that seems completely plausible," Clara said slightly sarcastically. "I think my attempt was better."

"What, the fact it's half term? In the middle of March?" Emily smirked, "because... that seems completely plausible."

"And the fact I just jumped on a plane to the other side of the world is?" Clara folded her arms.

"Well, seeing as you teachers never fucking work..." Emily fired back.

Clara hit Emily on the arm with her right hand, "excuse me!"

"You're never there!" Emily said quickly as she caught the barman's attention and ordered five beers. "You didn't turn up for the last two weeks,"

"Err," Clara paused, pointing, "I don't drink beer."

"Yes you do," Emily looked at her, "you had no problem with a can of Red stripe on the first night we met."

"I was off my face," Clara explained, "but if you are happy with the potential of me throwing up everywhere then by all means, go ahead."

The bartender loudly dropped five overflowing jam jars of beer on the bar, "Twenty dollars," he grunted.

"Your round," said Emily.

"I have no money," said Clara, patting herself down. "Wasn't expecting to come out for drinks."

Emily groaned loudly, aiming a narrow stare at her as she dug a crumpled note out of the front pocket of her jeans and handed it over. "You owe me," Emily said sternly.

Clara smiled back cheekily, pulling herself close to Emily's ear, "I'll pay you back later."

"I'd prefer the money," Emily teased.

"Oh really?" Clara pulled back, with her arms folded, feigning shock.

"I'm a poor student," Emily smiled and picked up two jars of beer and walked off, leaving three for Clara to take back with some difficulty to the group.

Clara noticed Will wasn't there when she returned, setting the glasses down on the wooden crate which had been thankfully cleared since their visit to the bar. Emily sat herself on a metal beer keg next to Jen, handing her and Sarah one beer each.

"Hey girl," said Jen in an American accent, sitting up slightly to lean over and hug Emily, she said something into her ear which Clara couldn't make out. Emily laughed a little and then glanced quickly in her direction. "I know, right?" Emily said back to Jen.

Clara glared at her playfully, perching on another keg as she took of her jacket, handing Emily a mug of beer and taking one for herself. She took a small sip from the handled jam jar, wincing slightly at the sour taste. It wasn't the worst thing she'd ever tasted, but it certainly would not have been her choice of drink.

Emily watched her and laughed, taking a large gulp. "You're so funny."

"So..." Sarah said with a British accent, setting her beer down, "this is the famous disappearing girlfriend that we've heard all about." She raised an eyebrow.

"Damn girl you must have been angry" said Jen, dropping her voice, "we all want to know what she did." She pointed at Emily.

"Guys, come on," said Emily, "leave her alone." It was clear she wasn't trying very hard to stop what Clara assumed was now going to be a barrage of questions.

"Umm... we're not... umm," Clara stuttered, feeling herself blushing again, "she didn't do anything, it was sort of my fault."

"So what did you do?" Jen asked Clara with a sideways smile. "Spill."

"We want details," said Sarah, laughing, "must have been some apology to fly out here, although," she said sideways to Jen, "judging by the state of her neck doesn't look like there's been much talking going on, does it?"

"Mmm hmm," Jen said loudly, "that is the sign of... what was it you said yesterday? A... loud aggressive argument wasn't it?"

"Something like that," Emily laughed unfazed, taking a sip of beer. "It certainly felt like an apology to me."

"Shut up," Clara said quietly, finding this worse than the uncomfortable breakfast. She took a large gulp of beer to deflect any attention.

"So what have we found out?" Will said as he returned, stuffing a packet of cigarettes into his back pocket.

"Fuck off all of you," Emily said without any real venom, "leave us both alone. I thought this was supposed to be a quiet drink, not you all having a go."

"Ooooh," said Will laughing, "chill out babes." He looked around for something to sit on. "

Clara cradled her beer glass, hoping some unknown force would sweep her away or allow her to melt into the ground. Emily stood up and slid her stool a foot over towards Clara's.

"They're just jealous," Emily said quietly to her, putting her right hand on Clara's left leg for a moment, "I suggest we both just get wasted and deal with it." She held up her beer glass.

"OK," said Clara, nodding, smiling at Emily, "cheers." She clinked her glass against Emily's and drank from it heavily, unable to disguise her reaction to the almost unpalatable taste.

"Excuse me mate," said Will to a grey haired man drinking alone on the table next to them, "are you using this?" he pointed to an empty barrel at the table.

The man put his large paper down on the crate in front of him and said, "I'm not, but there's no need to move it, one of your party is leaving."

"Sorry?" said Will, taken aback by the non-standard reply.

"Do you need a hearing test?" the man replied, standing up and doing up his black jacket, "I said, no need to move it because one of your party is leaving."

"OK, old man," Will reacted back, moving away in the direction of another table, "you could have just said yes or no."

"Old man?" the man said loudly, offended, "I'm not old! We're the same age!" he pointed at Clara.

Clara turned to see what the raised voices were and she immediately froze. The Doctor.

Emily noticed at the same time. "Fuck's sake," she said under her breath.

Clara put her head in her hands. "What the hell are you doing here?" she said weakly.

"Oh," the Doctor looked over, smiling, "oh... that is really quite interesting."

"Oh for god's sake," Clara muttered. "I don't want to know."

"Do you know him?" Will asked, looking between them, "is he your dad?"

"Why are you drinking out of a jam jar?" the Doctor asked pacing over and lifting the glass out of Clara's hand. "And why does a jam jar need a handle?" he held it up to the light, "completely pointless." He sniffed the beer, screwing up his nose. "Very hoppy." He set the glass on the wooden crate away from her.

"Oh yeah?" Clara fired back, in a harsh whisper, "what? Like an invisible watch?"

"An invisible watch?" Emily said, confused and resigned, pausing before taking another sip of beer, "why would you want that?"

"It wasn't an invisible watch, per ce," the Doctor waved his right hand, "I mean, it was a watch that made you invisible, not an... invisible watch... and I didn't see you complaining when I used it to save your school from the Skovox Blitzer." He raised an eyebrow at Clara.

Clara cleared her throat finding her arms. "Not quite how I remember it."

"A watch that makes you invisible?" Emily shook her head, unimpressed. "Fuck off."

"It actually does," Clara rubbed her head, going a deep shade of red, "trust me, if I had it on me, I'd be using it right now."

"Come on then Clara," the Doctor said, pretending to usher her away, "or should I say, Houdini, given your miraculous disappearing act? But it's OK, I understand, you got lost and found your way to the nearest public house, I get it, you're an alcoholic, but now it's time to put your friend down so that we can go back."

"Your dad's not very understanding is he?" Sarah said to Clara's left.

"Really not my dad," Clara replied, a wave of annoyance and embarrassment washing over her.

"Hey dude, it's 2016," said Jen to the Doctor, "girls see other girls, get over it."

"Oh," the Doctor pointed between Clara and Emily, "they're not girlfriends," he said blankly, "I still haven't got a clue what they're doing."

"Her neck says otherwise," said Will.

"Are you for fucking real?" Jen began to stand up before Emily stopped her. "Who's the homophobic granddad?"

"Homophobic grandad?" the Doctor looked around. "Where?"

"She means you, old man," Will said to the Doctor.

"I'm not homophobic," the Doctor looked offended, "I know Vastra, Jenny, that guard on the Titanic... Allons-y Alonso!... oh yes and then there's Captain Jack, wait until you meet him... River had a wife at some point too I think-"

"Jen, it's fine," Emily turned to face Clara, "you should probably go, he's not going to stop is he?"

"No," Clara nodded, standing and brushing herself down as she put on her jacket. "Nice to meet you all but I should probably go." She aimed a narrow stare at the Doctor although there was a part of her that was secretly glad she would be leaving.

"But you just got here," said Will, "we haven't had time to rinse you for details on Emily. Sit down and finish your beer."

"Trust me," Clara straightened her hair, "I'd love to-"

"It's probably best to let her go," said Emily, standing up and pointing at the Doctor, "he's a nightmare."

Clara tried to tone down her narrow stare as she looked towards Emily. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

Emily nodded and hugged Clara politely, kissing her on the lips. "I'll text you, have fun with your time crystals."

"Yeah," Clara said weakly, putting her right hand on Emily's chest before balling her fists into the pockets of her jacket and pacing off towards the stairs without taking a backwards glance to the Doctor.

"Well she's all yours," Emily said snidely to the Doctor, holding her hands up. "So you can fuck off now." She stared up at the Doctor.

"Do you have to be so sweary?" said the Doctor, he paused looking at her. "Bye." He strolled after Clara.

"Fuck you," Emily said under her breath as he disappeared out of view down the stairs.

"Beer?" said Will after a few seconds.

"Yes," sighed Emily, sitting back down on the metal keg.


	20. Chapter 20

Clara left the bar and stepped out onto the street. She turned right in the direction she and Emily had approached half an hour earlier, walking in quick steps, blood boiling with anger, keen to put some distance between herself and the Doctor.

She rubbed her head, unsure whether a new pounding headache was due to her continuing hangover, the unpleasant taste of the beer or the awkwardness of the situation she'd just stormed out of. A voice interrupted her thoughts after a few minutes.

"Clara!" exclaimed the Doctor in the distance.

Clara slowed down, holding the bridge of her nose as she gradually came to a stop. She exhaled loudly and spun on her heel ready to snap at the Doctor for what he had just done in the bar.

"I hope the next word out of your mouth," Clara looked up to see an empty street, is going to be-" she stopped, scanning her eyes around.

"Clara! There you are!" the Doctor said loudly from behind.

Clara turned in his direction, seeing the Doctor jogging towards her, stopping when he got within twelve feet, leaning over with his hands on his thighs to catch his breath. "Umm," she said, confused, momentarily looking back towards the bar and pointing, "umm... why are you there?" A man reading a large newspaper was stood by the door.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" the Doctor said, standing up straight, waving his right hand and putting his left hand on his hips.

"So hang on," said Clara, "it wasn't you in there?" She aimed her thumb behind her back.

"In where?" the Doctor creased his eyebrows, "I've spent the last half an hour roaming these street corners looking for you!"

Clara turned back towards the bar and caught a glimpse of the man holding the newspaper. It was the Doctor. He saw her looking and immediately covered his face with the paper. She groaned loudly to herself, muttering, "of course." She slowly spun on her heel.

"What?" the Doctor in front of her said, peering around her, "what is it?"

"Nothing," Clara snapped, annoyed, "it's nothing. A man made me quite upset before I left Emily, he was being a bit of an arse and I'm quite sure he is going to get a slap the next time I lay my eyes on him." She sighed in desperation.

"Well, he certainly picked the wrong woman to upset," the Doctor reflected.

"Yes," Clara nodded, confidently, "yes he did."

"Right then," the Doctor said after a slight pause, putting an arm around Clara's shoulder, extending his left arm out in front of them, "now that you've said goodbye to Bitey-"

"Well, that's certainly one way of putting it," Clara said over him as they began walking.

"-we can get back to the TARDIS and get ourselves," the Doctor pointed between them, "out of here."

Clara said nothing, remaining silent as they turned right onto the main road. She was trying hard not to take out her frustration on this Doctor, deciding to reserve it for the version that had been unfathomably rude to her.

"I enjoyed our breakfast," the Doctor said as they approached the edge of the park, pointing at the diner.

Clara folded her arms and continued walking, "yeah," she said in a non-committal way, entering the gates

"Who was that man?" the Doctor asked, "the one that made you angry? Do you want me to go back in time and, go all Scottish on him?"

"Who do you think?" Clara said as a reaction, before laughing. "No... it's OK. You know, Doctor, sometimes you can be so..." she paused, finding the right word, "annoying."

"Annoying?" he said, creasing his eyebrows, "how am I... annoying?"

"You just are," Clara said, "really... really annoying."

"Well, thank you for that very insightful insight," the Doctor said sarcastically as the TARDIS came into view.

Clara rolled her eyes at him, before aiming a smile in the Doctor's direction. "You are most welcome."

"There's that smile," he said as they approached the TARDIS. He patted down his jacket looking for his keys, eventually locating them in his right trouser pocket. He turned the lock and let Clara in before him.

"Thanks," Clara said with a trace of sarcasm.

"So," the Doctor said, shutting the door loudly, "where were we earlier, you know, before you stormed off and got angry, started drinking, I got blackmailed and you and Bitey spent half the night gossiping loudly-"

"What?" Clara snapped, embarrassed, blushing heavily, "it was yesterday, and oh god, please don't tell me you heard that..." she rubbed her head.

"I couldn't quite make out what you were saying," the Doctor strolled through the entanglement of wires on the floor and hanging from the ceiling, "I caught odd words like-"

"Please stop," Clara said, holding her head in her hands, trying to watch her feet manoeuvre around the trip hazards.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded in agreement, "that was one... although sometimes it was 'don't stop'-"

"For god's sake!" Clara said loudly as they left the console area, feeling a large amount of blood rushing to her face.

"That too," the Doctor turned around momentarily to grin at her, "your memory is surprisingly good considering you were inebriated, usually you pass out and we have to break the space time continuum-"

"Can we please change the subject?" Clara said, annoyed. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture on my drinking or a," she cleared her throat, "minute by minute recollection of my activities last night based on what you heard from the other side of a door."

The Doctor slowed his place of walking down the corridor for a few paces, ducking under a set of low hanging wires. "I just was curious how you appeared to have learnt a dialect so advanced even the TARDIS cannot translate, but I guess we will never know."

"Yeah," Clara said blankly, "that is a shame."

"And I didn't realise you'd become religious," the Doctor observed, waving his hand, not turning around as they approached the ladder he had walked her to the previous evening.

"Religious?" Clara asked, confused, creasing her eyebrows, folding her arms as she stopped walking.

"I caught some profanities and some praying, I mean usually the two don't go together," he spun around to face her, "except on Hitruxi, where they only communicate using curse words."

"Oh god," Clara muttered, realising what he was referring to.

"Yes, exactly like that," the Doctor pointed at her, "but interspersed by swear words, I'd prefer it if you didn't."

"That wasn't me," Clara looked sideways, unable to stop the smallest of smiles crossing her lips, "I was busy at the time... so these time crystals... eh?" she said desperately changing the subject, "what are they all about?"

"I think we need to take Bitey on a trip to Hitruxi," the Doctor muttered, "she'll fit right in..." He put his right hand on a chest level rung of the ladder.

"Time crystals," Clara pointed towards the ceiling, "Doctor."

"Oh yes," he looked at her and laughed slightly, lifting his left foot onto the bottom step.

"What's up there?" Clara asked, arms folded, peering into the shadowy hole in the ceiling as she stood underneath it, watching the Doctor ascend the ladder.

"A whole new floor Clara! I've had her for almost two thousand years and there is a first floor I didn't know existed!" the Doctor enthused. "This is exciting!"

"If you say so," Clara said, removing her jacket and setting it down on a nearby pile of spiralling wires. She begun climbing the ladder, "if it's like that time you took me to the engine room as a, and I quote, fun and educational day out I rather would not go through that again-" she stopped as the Doctor extended his right hand to help her up, realising what she was seeing in front of her. "What the hell," Clara said slowly, pointing and looking between the Doctor and the surroundings, "is that?"

"I have no idea," the Doctor wrung his hands, "but I guess we are about to find out."


	21. Chapter 21

Two hours later Emily put down her fourth empty jam jar of beer on the wooden crate, starting to feel a little queasy but deciding to drink through it.

"Another round?" Emily announced to no-one in particular.

Will was creased in half in an unsurpressable fit of giggles at a YouTube video they had been watching on Jen's phone of a man getting his head stuck in a bin. "Yes babes," he forced out, hanging sideways off the metal beer keg the longer the video progressed. Jen held the phone still, a wide smirk covering her face.

"I'll come with you," Sarah said from the other side of the crate, putting a balled fist on front of her mouth to disguise a loud hiccup.

Emily stood up a little unsteadily, bloated from the large breakfast, the beer and the persevering hangover.

"Your girlfriend," Sarah swallowed heavily, grabbing hold of Emily's right upper arm as they aimed themselves at the bar, "man, what I would not give for something like that."

Emily laughed a little, smiling cheekily as they joined a small group of people waiting for service. "Oh yeah," she sighed wistfully. "I told you, we're not really seeing each other."

"She flies," Sarah paused, running her right hand through her short pink hair, clearly drunk as they reached the bar top, "halfway across the world to see you."

"Something like that," Emily said vaguely, not quite as intoxicated as Sarah.

"She is," Sarah said, placing her left arm around Emily's shoulders, looking blearily at her, "fit as. If you don't want her send her my way. I won't tell if you won't," she looked back towards Jen.

"Fuck off," Emily said playfully, laughing.

"I can deal with the disappearances and the creepy grandad," Sarah continued. "And besides, If you don't start seeing her someone else will," she said in a sing song intonation.

"They'd better not," Emily said out loud as a reaction before she could stop herself, immediately feeling a streak of possession flow through her body.

"Ah ha," said Sarah, pointing over, "you can't fool me with all of this," she impersonated Emily badly, "'we're not really seeing each other' bullshit Emily Fitch."

"Again," Emily repeated, "fuck off. And don't full name me." She caught the bartender's attention by making eye contact.

"Whatever," Sarah propped herself up lazily against the bar when two men next to her departed with their drinks.

"Same again?" the bartender asked Emily with a knowing look, drying his hands with a towel attached to his waist. "Four is it?"

Emily nodded, digging her right hand into her pocket to fish out money, realising she had only coins and no notes. "Fuck's sake," she swore quietly at herself.

"Sixteen dollars," the barman announced, dropping the four jam jars unceremoniously on the bar, spilling at least one sip of the contents of each glass.

Emily retrieved four dollars from her pocket, placing them individually on the counter top, trying to avoid the bartender's glances. "Sarah," Emily said over to her, "do you have money? I'm out."

"Oh," Sarah patted down her pockets, "here." She handed Emily a large collection of coins for her to sort through, picking up the glasses and whisking them away quickly to the others.

"Thanks," Emily said sarcastically, managing to scrape together the remaining twelve dollars. The barman rolled his eyes as he retrieved the coins, disappearing away to the other side where five men were waiting to be served. She wandered back to the table, craving a cigarette, retrieving her jacket and walking to the nearby balcony.

She pulled on her coat as she stood on the balcony, holding a cigarette between her lips as she lit it with the lighter after the fourth attempt. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She pulled it out to see a message from Clara.

: Help me. Please save me.

Emily laughed once to herself, inhaling a drag of her cigarette, typing out a reply.

: Well I did try to get you an afternoon off. What's he doing? Still being a fucking prick?

She sent the message, grinning slightly to herself, leaning onto the edge of the balcony as she finished smoking. A call came through a few minutes later.

Emily looked down at the screen, unsure of whether to answer as she was still a little angry, leaving it a good thirty seconds before pressing the green button.

"Hi," Emily said, flicking off some residual ash from the cigarette.

"Hello," Clara said brightly.

"How are your time crystals or whatever the fuck the Doctor needed you to go and do?" Emily replied.

"Oh that," Clara laughed, "turns out that thing I had to do isn't a thing now so I can do something with you."

"OK," Emily said, creasing her eyebrows, confused by how unexpectedly upbeat Clara was, "look it's fine, we can meet up later. The Doctor clearly wants your attention-"

"The Doctor," Clara interrupted, "is a bit of an arse and kind of... ummm... indisposed at the moment. Fixing something on the first floor I think."

"It's cool," Emily stubbed out her cigarette on a nearby ashtray, "do what you need to do, I'm still at Markston's."

"Will I see you later?" Clara asked.

"Depends," Emily replied.

"On what?"

"If the Doctor is still hanging around," Emily said, slightly annoyed.

"The Doctor will not be here," Clara laughed. "You do not need to worry about him."

"So I won't have to blackmail my way in like I did last night?" Emily smiled to herself. "I won't have to get the Doctor to profess his undying love for you to get directions?"

"Hopefully not," Clara said. "If you want to smuggle some drinks in again, though, that would be greatly appreciated."

Emily laughed once, feeling butterflies in her stomach talking to Clara again. "Deal."

"Good," Clara replied. "I am... looking forward to it."

Emily looked back to Will, Jen and Sarah, all now halfway through their respective beers, catching them glancing at her. Will beckoned her over with his hand. "I should go," Emily sighed, "I probably have a video of a cat getting trapped in a fridge door or something to watch."

"I love videos of cats!" Clara exclaimed before laughing quietly. "I am very jealous."

"See you later," Emily said.

"Bye!" Clara said, uncharacteristically brightly.

Emily switched off her phone, looking at it before returning it to her back pocket as she made her way back inside to jeers from the others.

Will handed her the full jar of beer. "What did she want?" he giggled.

"Oh nothing," Emily replied, a smirk on her face, taking a large glug of beer. "Just arrangements for this evening."

Will held up his glass to Emily and winked at her. "Without her dad?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, without her dad." Emily smiled bashfully and clinked her glass against Will's.


	22. Chapter 22

Clara approached a small dark tunnel in front of her, head tilted slightly to one side as she glanced quickly towards the Doctor.

"What is this?" Clara asked, taking a few tentative steps forward.

"I have no idea," the Doctor shook is head. "Shall we?" He breezed past her, striding in long paces.

"Two thousand years and you've never found this?" Clara folded her arms and followed the Doctor, stopping to examine the glistening inner surface of the tunnel. "Is it safe? You did, like, scan it, didn't you?"

"Of course it's safe!" the Doctor reassured her, "it's inside the TARDIS, inside my TARDIS, Clara! Not even the assembled-"

Clara groaned, finishing off his sentence. "The assembled hoards of Gengis Khan could get in here, I know that." She stopped herself going further, unsure.

"So," he spun around to face her, "if you know that, then you know it must be safe." He grinned at her.

"Unless they click their fingers," Clara observed. "The last time I got trapped in the TARDIS it was not nice."

"Oh that?" the Doctor waved his hand as he swooshed away down the tunnel, "that was ages ago. And the clicking fingers thing? Isometric."

"Isometric?" Clara said incredulous. "Come on, what about a finger click is isometric? Surely a click is a click?"

"It is tuned to the specific timbre of the resonance of the skin and the bones..." the Doctor trailed off as he put some distance between them.

Clara put her right hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, sighing loudly to herself. "Doctor!" she shouted after him, saying under her breath, "oh for god's sake," as she ventured into the damp dark tunnel in front. She held out her left hand to touch the surface as she walked, recoiling at the last moment as she sensed it being cold. "Doctor!" she shouted again, quickening her pace to catch him up.

The tunnel descended into almost complete darkness, illuminated only in the distance.

"Clara!" the Doctor's voice echoed loudly around the space. "Just wait until you see this," he enthused.

"See what?" Clara called out, feeling very claustrophobic, the edges of the tunnel touchable on both sides. "I can't see anything!"

The tunnel opened up into a large space, illuminated by dim red lights on the ceiling. Large stalagmites rose from the ground, glistening as drips of water fell from above. There was a strong chill in the air that made Clara's breath visible in front, she hugged herself tightly and rubbed her hands together.

"Bit cold," Clara said out loud, wishing she had brought her jacket, "forget to put 50p in the meter did you? Jesus!"

"Over here," the Doctor shouted in a harsh whisper to her right.

Clara looked over in his direction. He held his left index finger up to his lips, indicating for her to be quiet. She made eye contact, tip-toeing towards him. He beckoned her over.

"What do you make of all this?" he whispered once she was in earshot, pulling her towards a small alcove.

"Besides being like a fridge?" Clara said instantly, breathing on her hands to warm herself up. She observed the surroundings. "Seriously, it is freezing in here."

"Tell me what you make of it," he said, clearly challenging her. The Doctor willed her on with his eyes.

"OK," Clara thought to herself for a moment, "it does not look very... TARDIS-sey."

"Well, full marks for your observation," he said sarcastically. "And?"

"It looks old," Clara replied, "really old."

"And?"

"A bit leaky," she aimed her eyes up to the ceiling.

"Anything else?" he tried to encourage her.

"Ok," Clara said annoyed, inspecting the area around them in more detail, unsure of what the Doctor was getting at. "Looks like a natural cave, not the sort of thing that I would expect in a man made time machine," she paused, catching some flashing lights out of the corner of her eye, "is that some sort of," she contorted her head to peer around the outside of the alcove, "control panel?"

"It is," the Doctor nodded, impressed, "so...?"

"That means," Clara widened her eyes, realising something, "this is a ship. Am I right? But hang on," she paused, "what would a ship be doing inside another ship? And what would another ship be doing inside the TARDIS?"

"That is a very good question," the Doctor faced away from her, placing his hand on the wet wall, removing it to rub the wet substance between his right thumb and forefinger. "Hmm," he pondered, "transparent viscose liquid. Not unlike the jelly in a pork pie," he added with a cheeky smile, flicking his hand to remove the liquid.

"Urgh," Clara said, creasing her nose, inching away from the walls. "So why are we here? What is this place?"

"It's a control centre," the Doctor replied, "as to the why? I guess we'll find out." A figure moved in the distance. The Doctor pulled Clara behind him out of sight. Another large frame materialised out of nowhere.

"Are they teleporting?" Clara asked quietly, "have we teleported?" She folded her arms tightly. "That's the only reasonable explanation, isn't it?"

"Question," the Doctor replied, "how did we teleport somewhere inside the TARDIS?" He pointed his finger to the floor.

"First question," Clara thought out loud, "how did a teleport get inside the TARDIS?"

"Good point," the Doctor agreed, "remind me to give you a pay rise."

"Why do you always say that to me? Do you really think you have to pay me to be here?" Clara said in a harsh whisper.

"Sometimes... yes," he reflected, "but anyway, let me show you the most interesting thing I found in here." The Doctor took a quick look back at her before darting off to the right.

Clara followed him quickly, stopping as she approached a dimly lit area to the rear of the large space, sliding in between two weather worn stone pillars.

"What do you make of this?" the Doctor pointed at small window attached to a large egg shaped container, standing back to allow Clara to approach it.

Clara squinted inside the glass, using her right hand to remove a dense cobweb. "No," she gasped, immediately taking a step backwards. "No..." she trailed off, "that's... not... possible."


	23. Chapter 23

Emily left the front door of Markston's three rounds later at 10pm, almost falling down the small step out to the pavement until she was caught by Will behind her. It was now dark outside, the street lamps bathing the pavement in a yellow hue.

"Babes," Will laughed like a hyena, "you are fucked!" He helped Emily to stand up.

"Y'all fucked!" Jen said, emerging from behind them, holding the door for Sarah.

"Onwards," Will pointed with his right hand to the right after some internal debate as to which direction to go.

"Where?" Emily said, feeling herself slurring her words "Where are we going?"

"The Warehouse?" Sarah interjected, "let's go Warehouse." A groan of disapproval met her words.

"That shit hole?" Will said, linking arms with Emily to his left, "I'm really not feeling that, unless we can find some mandy."

"I am way not drunk enough to go to Warehouse," Emily said, fighting a wave of nausea as Will dragged her along the pavement.

"We need drink," Sarah slurred her words, her eyes catching sight of an off licence opposite. She pointed herself in the direction of the shop and strolled casually into the two lane road, oblivious to the oncoming traffic. She instinctively looked right, forgetting the traffic drove the opposite way, pulling on her green checked shirt with a lot of effort.

"Sar!" Jen shouted, running after her, "what you doing?!"

Sarah narrowly avoided getting run over by a passing Land Rover, laughing to herself, letting Jen follow her towards the shop.

Emily and Will continued down the road, arm in arm until they stopped to look around for the others, realising they were not with them.

"I think," Will struggled, setting himself down on a nearby bench, "house party at mine," he hiccupped. "Em," he called over, patting the seat to his left, "come here."

Emily collapsed down into the rickety metal bench next to him, beginning to feel decidedly worse for wear.

"You know," he put his left arm around her. "Don't take no shit from this... this... ummm..." he paused, "girl."

"Clara," Emily replied, "her name's Clara." Her head felt a little muggy with the alcohol.

"This Clara," Will nodded, "if this Clara messes you around I will sort her out. Like I did with the last one."

"She's fine," Emily slurred weakly, fighting the urge to go to sleep, "But I'll let you know." She snuggled towards Will.

"Wake up sleepy head!" Sarah shoved her hard on the left shoulder. "We have drinks!" she announced proudly.

Jen laughed at them, holding an armful of bottles covered in brown paper bags which she handed out. "You British," she sniggered, "y'all really need to work on your day drinking."

"Back to mine," shouted Will, getting up suddenly, leaving Emily to fall slowly onto the surface of the bench. "Come on Em," he said, heaving her upright, "off we go."

The group staggered back in the direction of the park next to the diner, opening the various bottles to take intermittent shots of vodka, tequila and sambuca.

Will's room was in the adjacent block to Emily's. She approached, noticing out of the corner of her eye that the TARDIS was shrouded in darkness in the centre of the deserted communal gardens, following Will into the building.

"What is that?!" said Jen, pointing at the TARDIS. "Why y'all got a Police Box outside of where you are living? Shit!" she quickly hid the bottle of tequila she had been swigging from deep inside the brown paper bag covering it.

"I don't know," Will replied, rotating Emily around to walk in the direction of the large blue box. "Been here for a few days," he slurred, dragging her along.

"Why do they need a box for the police?" Sarah said approaching, laughing. "Not very, roomy, is it?"

Emily groaned, resigning herself to having to go along with their curiosity. "I thought it was some sort of art thing," she volunteered sleepily. "I'm sure it's nothing, let's go inside."

Will let go of her arm and did a lap of the box, banging it with his left fist between shots of bourbon. "Sounds like wood," he observed.

Jen set her drink bottle down on the loose stone floor. She walked confidently up to the front door of the TARDIS and tried to open it. It remained closed as she rattled it roughly by the handle. "It doesn't open," she struggled for a few more seconds, eventually taking a pace backwards, "maybe they've gone. It's this a British thing? Are the police in Europe really tiny?"

Emily braced herself for the appearance of the Doctor, remembering she merely knocked and was let in the previous evening.

Sarah looked over Jen's shoulder. "Maybe it's locked?" she said, pointing at the silver Yale lock, putting her thumb over the key hole.

"There's a little give in the doors," Jen said, rattling the handle again, "I'm sure we can get in. I wonder what they've got in there?"

Will finished his lap of the box, returning to the front where he went straight to help Jen, throwing his half empty bottle down to the grass with a small clink and kicking the bottom of the door with half hearted effort.

"Should we really be trying to break into a police box?" Emily asked, keeping a distance, folding her arms.

Sarah stood on tiptoes, trying to see inside the small square frosted windows. She opened a small panel on the left side door that revealed a black old fashioned phone.

After a couple of minutes Will and Jen gave up their pursuit of trying to get in.

"Hey guys," she said, "look at this." She took her mobile phone out of her pocket and turned the torch on, reading a small white panel on the outside out loud, "Police telephone, free for use of public," she picked up the handset and held it up to the right side of her face hearing nothing, "advice and assistance obtainable immediately, officers and cars will respond to all calls. Shit!" she exclaimed, dropping the black receiver, leaving it dangling by a silver cord. "Have I just called the police? Fuck!"

"Calm down girl," Jen replied, picking up the phone to speak into it, "hello?"

"We should go," Emily said, trying to direct their attention, moving away, "we're all drunk and I don't fancy an late night encounter with the police."

"It's dead," Jen said, pushing down the button on top of the circular dial pad a few times. "Nope, nothing." She replaced the handset, "chill Sar."

Sarah turned off the torch and got distracted with a message.

The four of them stood looking at the box, unsure what to do. Will looked at Jen and began laughing. "Do you think," he paused to giggle slightly, "we could push it over?"

"Oh hell yes!" Jen exclaimed, taking an excited look around the deserted surroundings.

"Are you fucking-" Emily announced sternly, before mentally visualising the Doctor's reaction and laughing out loud, "serious?" She grinned widely.

"We could totally push it over," Will said as he and Jen grinned to each other and moved towards the exterior of the blue box.

"What's those things you people push over?" Sarah asked, finishing off replying to a message and sliding her phone back into her pocket.

"I presume by you people you mean Americans?" Jen replied blankly, eyeing up the height of the TARDIS.

"You know," Sarah thought out loud facing away from the TARDIS, "the animals," she tapped her fingers together as she tried to get her memory working.

"You mean cows," Jen clarified, not entertaining her. "You mean in the Mid-West... do I look like I am wearing a cowboy hat?"

"No," Sarah laughed turning around and joining the others.

Emily walked slowly over. "Doesn't it kill them?"

"Dunno," said Will. He strained, pushing his shoulder into the blue wooden side. It lifted a millimetre off the floor. "I think if we all push we can do it."

Jen joined him, aiming her weight at the box, laughing hysterically. "Quick though," she grimaced. Sarah and Emily came over to help.

They managed to raise the TARDIS one foot off the floor before Will moved away, rubbing his shoulder.

"Fuck me, that is heavy," Will complained.

"I think we can do it," Jen said, trailing off as the TARDIS dropped to the ground with a loud thump.

They all stood a pace backwards, looking up at the box.

"We should probably leave it," Emily said, unable to contain a fit of giggles as she imagined the Doctor's face. The laughter spread across the group until they all collapsed into hysterical drunken hugging.

"Well at least we tried," Jen said, brushing some dust off the shoulder of her large grey jumper. She picked up the bottle of tequila and took a large swig.

"Yeah," Emily replied, smirking as she folded her arms.

Will retrieved his phone. "Babes," he said distractedly, "selfie." He flicked back his head to remove some hair, running his hands through the strands. He aligned the handset to include the majority of the TARDIS and snapped himself pouting before the others crowded into join him. "Everyone say," Will smiled, "filtered to the max."

"To the max," Jen laughed as the group did several poses. "I don't need to the max, boy," she chided him, "I'm beautiful enough already." She blew him a kiss.

"That will not work on me," Will finished taking a stream of photos. "Well I do." They gathered around the TARDIS doors to take one final look. "It would have been better if we'd actually tipped it," he sighed.

"Can you please filter me?" asked Emily. "If Clara saw me right now she'd probably dump me like," she clicked her fingers to match the next word, "that."

A loud creaking sound was followed by a dull thud as the doors to the TARDIS flung themselves open.


	24. Chapter 24

"What the fuck?" Jen said out loud. "How did it just open?"

The door revealed the inside, bathed in a dull orange glow, not what Emily had been expecting. "What did we do?" Emily asked out loud, "what did I just do?"

"I don't know," Will said, immediately setting off to walk inside. "Me and Jen tried for ages and then it just opens... for fuck's sake!" He had one foot on the step of the TARDIS doorway when Jen barged past him.

"What... the... hell..." Jen gasped, walking forwards, not finding the small empty cupboard sized box she had anticipated, continuing walking. "I must be fucking drunk... what on god's earth is going on inside here?" she stared up into the ceiling in awe. "Are we underground?"

"This..." Will paused, "is messed up." He retreated from the box, falling backwards down the step onto the gravel floor. "How is that- how- why?"

"Oh, umm," Emily said vaguely, staying outside, trying to feign her surprise, "what the fuck?" She noticed the orange light was casting long shadows and it looked different from earlier. There were still a large number of wires and cables scattered around, but the Doctor and Clara were nowhere to be seen.

"This definitely looks like an art thing," Sarah called out, not venturing inside. "Looks like they haven't finished building it."

"I am not drunk enough for this," Will called inside, rubbed his head before taking a swig of bourbon.

"It appears harmless," Jen said loudly, approaching the central console. She flipped a few buttons and switches after necking a few shots. "Is this what the Police are like in Europe?"

"No," Emily laughed, taking the step up into the TARDIS to join Jen. "I wonder what it is?"

The main lights immediately blinked to life, causing Emily to squint.

"Who turned on the lights?" Sarah said loudly from the outside, craning her head around the doorway.

"Maybe they're, like, automatic?" Emily offered. "Have we set off a sensor or something?"

"Come inside babes," Jen said to Sarah, "it's perfectly safe. Nothing bad has happened." She moved a large handle up and down. "It's just... weird."

Sarah cautiously stepped up into the console room, looking around. She pointed herself to the left, making her way up the small staircase to the balcony level. "What is this place?" she said, inspecting a bookcase in front, "a mobile library?" She slumped into the large leather seat Emily had put herself in the previous evening.

Will took a large swig of bourbon from the bottle and went inside to join the others. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and started taking pictures of Jen and Emily stood near the controls.

Sarah swung her legs around to put them up on the nearby desk, picking up a discarded copy of 'The Da Vinci Code'. She leafed through it, leaning back in the chair.

A loud thud permeated the space, causing the four of them to spin around to see the doors had slammed shut.

"Shit!" shouted Will loudly, bolting straight for the door. "Are we locked in?" He rattled the door roughly. "Fuck guys," he despaired, "we are locked in!" He slid down backwards against the door, head lolling as he sipped at the bottle of bourbon. "Great."

Sarah threw the book back onto the desk. "Don't be stupid," she said lazily, "we can't be locked in some half built shed art project mobile library thing." She went to get up, before sinking back into the chair, a wave of intoxication making her yawn.

Emily tried to stifle a small laugh. She paced around the console, trying to glean any information she could, wondering where Clara was, and how she would explain her presence to the others if she or the Doctor were to emerge. "I'm sure it's perfectly safe."

Jen marched over to the door to try it for herself. She fiddled with the internal Yale lock before agreeing. "We definitely locked in, fuck's sake." She spun around and went to the balcony on the right hand side, pacing around the upper level. "Looks like we're here for the night... Maybe the police came?"

Emily moved towards the staircase to descend to the basement, half curious to what was there. She went towards an open panel beneath the main console, noticing it was full of discarded clothing.

"What the fuck is that?" Jen said, appearing next to Emily, picking up a red hat.

"Is that," Emily creased her eyebrows, "a fez?"

"What's a fez?" Jen asked.

Emily took the hat from her and put it on to her head. "It's a hat," Emily pointed, smiled to herself, "I think it's Turkish? Or for fucking snake charming or something?" She grinned widely. "How does it look?"

"It looks stupid," Jen observed, rifling through the rest of the container, "why would there be a dressing up box in this place? Maybe she's right? Maybe it is an art project?"

"Is there a toilet in here?" Will hollered above them, having forgotten about the locked main doors, distracted as he swiped through a few messages on his phone, "I really need a fucking piss."

"Ergh," Emily grimaced, saying loudly, "please don't piss yourself in here, especially if we're locked in and especially if we are currently underneath you," she laughed, holding up a bow tie to the light.

"I'm going to have a look inside," WIll trailed off, making his way down the small ramp away from the main area.

"Wait! Wait!" Jen called out, unceremoniously dropping the heavy brown coat she was holding, "let me come with you!" She disappeared up the stairs.

Emily followed her a few seconds later, noticing Sarah had fallen asleep in the chair on the balcony. She picked up the nearest bottle of alcohol and guzzled from it, shuffling down the ramp and looked for the others, unable to see or hear them. She blearily rubbed her eyes, tired and drunk, turning left and finding the third door on the right.

"Well, hello," said a voice behind her as she approached the panel.

Emily smiled as she realised it was Clara. She turned round to see her wearing the same clothes she had been wearing earlier, but without her black jacket.

"Did you manage to talk yourself into my bedroom again?" Clara smiled at her, leaning sideways against the wall, hands in her jeans pockets. "Drunk?" Clara observed.

"A little," Emily smiled cheekily.

"And did you bring me anything?" Clara raised an eyebrow, indicating the bottle she was holding.

"Maybe," Emily paused, "we did have more alcohol, but the others might have had it. Where's the Doctor?"

"Does that matter?" Clara folded her arms and walked towards Emily.

"No," Emily grinned, "I suppose it doesn't." She held out the bottle of tequila to Clara.

Clara shook her head, stepping forward, laughing. "I do not do tequila. Also not in the mood. So now the Doctor is... indisposed... I have got you all to myself."

Emily instinctively fell back towards the wall as she was a foot away, swallowing as her body became possessed with adrenaline at her being this close.

Clara aimed her eyes upwards, letting out a loud sigh as she placed her right hand on Emily's left cheek, "one day I'll start seeing someone who can just walk past a fez without putting it on."


	25. Chapter 25

Clara woke up to a thumping headache permeating her right temple. She cautiously opened her left eye to find herself in bed in her room in the TARDIS. She couldn't remember falling asleep or even going to her bedroom. She looked down her body to realise she was fully dressed.

She stirred, stretching her arms out before rubbing her forehead to ease the pain away. Padding around the room went towards the door to investigate how she had ended up in the bedroom without realising it. The last thing she remembered was being with the Doctor. She checked her phone, it was switched off.

She pressed the button to open the door into the corridor. It swooshed as normal, but instead of revealing the clean, cool white surroundings she was expecting it opened onto a solid grey concrete breeze block wall. Clara ran her hand across the bricks to check she wasn't imagining it.

"Oh no, no, no!" she shouted loudly, banging both her fists against the exposed brickwork until they hurt, immediately realising what was happening. "Why is it always me?!" She banged her forehead onto the cool wall a couple of times.

A light tapping sounded behind her, causing Clara to spin around to find the source of the noise.

"Ahh yes," a familiar voice filled the air. "You are awake. Is that sound you or the wall?"

"Bonnie," Clara said resignedly, narrowing her eyes. A large oblong picture frame above the dressing table to her right displayed Bonnie, dressed in her clothes, knocking her right knuckle on the surface of the glass.

"Clara Oswald, love of my human life, we meet again," Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you always go after me?" Clara asked.

"Because I very much enjoy being you Clara," Bonnie smirked. "And your close proximity to the Doctor makes you a very suitable target."

Clara sat on the bed opposite the photo frame, folding her arms, annoyed. "What do you want this time?"

"So here is what we are going to do, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You will tell me how to drive the TARDIS," Bonnie said unblinking.

"Err... No I will not," Clara answered abruptly. "How did you even get in here?"

"The Doctor-" Bonnie started.

"What have you done to the Doctor?" Clara interrupted, standing up.

"The Doctor is also refusing to give us any information," Bonnie continued, "so we have had to move on to the only other person who knows how the TARDIS works." She paused. "You."

"And you should know by now I am not going to tell you anything," Clara said sternly.

"It looks like we are going to have to do this the hard way then," Bonnie reflected, closing her eyes as if recalling an old piece of information.

"What are you doing-" Clara started before immediately feeling a deep searing pain inside the centre of her brain, enough to cause her to lose her balance and fall to the floor.

Clara screamed out in agony, clutching at her head. She tried to reflect the pain back towards Bonnie. "You've done this before, it does... not... work."

Bonnie fell away from the screen after a few minutes. She reappeared to scowl at Clara before the picture frame went completely black.

"Oww," Clara said, picking herself off the floor as the pain melted away. "That never gets any easier." She tried to think quickly what to do next, knowing that Bonnie would be back.

Clara scrambled to reach her phone and turn it on. The iPhone blinked to life, revealing there was 2% battery left. Enough for one message.

She pulled up Emily's number and typed out a short message.

: Help me. Please save me.

The phone bleeped to indicate it had 1% battery left as she sent the message. It got a small green tick next to it as Clara exhaled with a small sigh of relief.

She waited ten minutes for a reply, seeing a response briefly flash up on the home screen before the handset silently died with the sound of no power.

Clara let out a frustrated groan, tossing the handset onto the bed sheets next to her and laying on her back. She remained still for a few minutes, trying to figure out a new plan.

"Clara!" Bonnie shouted into the air, tapping on the picture frame again. "Please explain this to me. I have just received this message." Bonnie cleared her throat. "Well I did try to get you an afternoon off. What's he doing? Still being a..." Bonnie paused for a moment, "a fucking prick?"

Clara let out a short laugh in response, raising herself to sit up on the edge of the mattress.

"Why is your pathetic little girlfriend sending expletive messages to this phone?" Bonnie snarled directly at Clara after looking at the handset. "Have you managed to get something out?"

Clara folded her arms, saying nothing, only raising her eyebrows and pursing her lips.

"Tell me!" Bonnie demanded. "Or I will-"

"Or you'll what?" Clara remained still. "We've established I can throw back anything you do."

"Maybe it's time we get her in here," Bonnie said with a glint in her eye, "I have a very comfortable pod waiting for her, right next to yours... or..." she paused, scrolling through the messages on the phone. "This is very... graphic," Bonnie grinned as she read, "you humans never cease to amaze me. Such complex vocabulary. Of course, I only have your memories to go by, but maybe... I'll see what all the fuss is about."

"Don't you fucking dare!" Clara shouted, immediately getting up from the bed. "If you lay one finger on her I will kill you without a second thought," she pointed at Bonnie's image on the picture. "Hurt me, fine, but this is nothing to do with her. You leave Emily alone."

"Ahh," Bonnie smirked, "it appears I have found your weakness. The... pathetic... little... girlfriend."

"Do not talk about her like that," Clara snapped.

"Tell me how to work the TARDIS," Bonnie demanded.

"No," Clara said, shaking her head, rage pumping through her veins.

"Well then," Bonnie smirked back, holding up the phone with Emily's contact number. "Let's invite her over." She pressed the green phone symbol and held it to her right ear. "I can use her as leverage."

"Don't do this," Clara warned, "if you do anything -"

"Shh... Looks like she doesn't want to speak to you," Bonnie smirked, holding up the screen so Clara could see. "Oh dear, shame, looks like I'm going to have to get someone to get her-"

"Hi," came a tinny voice from the speaker. Bonnie pressed the loudspeaker button.

"Emily!" Clara shouted, "Emily! Help me! Emily!"

Bonnie covered the microphone with her right hand. "She can't hear you, you know," Bonnie hissed, "so please be quiet, I'm trying to concentrate on having a meaningful conversation here."

Clara hung her head, holding the bridge of her nose.

"Hello," Bonnie said brightly.

"Err," Clara reflected, "I don't speak like that, she is going to know that is not me."

"How are your time crystals or whatever the fuck the Doctor needed you to go and do?" Emily replied through the phone.

"Oh that," Bonnie laughed falsely, "turns out that thing I had to do isn't a thing now so I can do something with you." Bonnie grinned at Clara.

"I really do not speak like that!" Clara fumed.

"OK," Emily said, pausing.

Clara smiled to herself. "She can tell, you know. That pause is her being unsure. She knows you're not me."

"Look it's fine, we can meet up later. The Doctor clearly wants your attention-"

"The Doctor," Bonnie interrupted, "is a bit of an arse and kind of... ummm... indisposed at the moment. Fixing something on the first floor I think."

"A bit of an arse?" Clara scoffed.

"It's cool," Emily replied blankly, "do what you need to do, I'm still at Markston's."

"Will I see you later?" Bonnie asked.

"Depends," Emily replied.

"On what?"

"If the Doctor is still hanging around," Emily said, slightly annoyed.

"The Doctor will not be here," Bonnie laughed. "You do not need to worry about him."

"So I won't have to blackmail my way in like I did last night?" Emily asked. "I won't have to get the Doctor to profess his undying love for you to get directions?"

"Hopefully not," Bonnie said, a maniacal grin appearing. "If you want to smuggle some drinks in again, though, that would be greatly appreciated."

Emily laughed once. "Deal."

"Good," Clara replied. "I am... looking forward to it."

"I should go," Emily sighed, "I probably have a video of a cat getting trapped in a fridge door or something to watch."

"I love videos of cats!" Bonnie exclaimed before laughing quietly.

"This is ridiculous," Clara sighed under her breath, "I do not speak like this!"

"I am very jealous." Bonnie smirked at Clara.

"See you later," Emily said.

"Bye!" Bonnie exclaimed. She ended the call.

"She will know that is not me, you know," Clara reiterated.

"Well," Bonnie replaced the handset into the back pocket of her trousers off camera, "looks like I have discovered the Doctor's weakness and I have a date tonight-"

"You certainly do not have a date tonight," Clara snapped loudly, "not even I have had a proper date with her! We're not even... dating!"

"Your physical activities over the last few weeks would say otherwise," Bonnie replied, "it gets very lonely pretending to be Petronella, you know. All that science, the white coats and those glasses and having to fake having asthma... very exhausting."

"Find someone else," Clara pleaded. "There are seven billion other people out there. Choose another one. If you are trying pass off being human you are really going the wrong way about it."

"You seem to be oddly concerned about someone who means nothing to you," Bonnie said in a surprisingly compassionate tone.

"Bonnie," Clara groaned, "I swear to if you do anything... anything to her, I will not be responsible for my actions." She glared directly into Bonnie's eyes.

Bonnie stared back through the picture frame for thirty seconds. A loud repetative thumping noise off camera broke her concentration. She laughed once, creasing her eyebrows, "what are they doing? They appear to be trying to... push the TARDIS over. Why are they doing that?"

"They're students," Clara offered up as a reason, sighing inwardly as she nodded.

"I thought better of you Clara," Bonnie said, disheartened. "I thought you have better taste than this... Emily."

"Don't even mention her name," Clara warned. "Leave her alone."

"They appear to have now got in somehow... how have they done that?"

"I don't know," Clara replied.

"Tell me!" Bonnie barked.

"No," Clara shrugged, "I actually have no idea." She tried to figure out a reason, coming up with nothing.

"Looks like my date has arrived for the evening with her suitably inebriated friends," Bonnie paused, adding sarcastically, "how delightful. Try not to go anywhere, I may or may not be back later. Depends whether I put you girlfriend out of the misery of seeing you or not." She laughed loudly.

"Bonnie, no!" Clara shouted as Bonnie disappeared off the screen. "No!" she banged the wall next to the picture frame with her right fist. "The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan can't get in," Clara folded her arms, rolling her eyes, "but four drunk students can? For god's sake."


	26. Chapter 26

The picture frame remained blank.

Clara paced side to side with her arms folded for the next two minutes, trying to think what to do. "Bonnie," Clara said under her breath, "I swear if you do anything to her-"

A CCTV style feed of the corridor outside of her room flashed up onto the picture frame. It fuzzed over a few times before becoming clear.

Emily walked forward into the picture, wearing a red fez, back to the screen, pausing to turn around when Bonnie appeared behind her.

She laughed once. "One day I'll start seeing someone who can just walk past a fez without putting it on."

"Did you manage to talk yourself into my bedroom again?" Bonnie smiled at her, leaning against the wall, hands in her pockets. "Drunk?"

Clara immediately went to the door, now swooshed closed. She banged loudly on the metal surface with her palms. "Emily! Emily!" she shouted, "it's not me!"

"A little," Emily grinned, oblivious.

Clara resigned herself, banging her fists on the door one final time before retreating back to watch the feed.

"And did you bring me anything?" Bonnie nodded towards the bottle.

"Maybe," Emily paused, "we did have more alcohol, but the others might have had it. Where's the Doctor?"

"Where is the Doctor?" Clara asked herself out loud, "that is a good question."

"Does that matter?" Bonnie folded her arms and walked towards Emily.

"No," Emily grinned, "I suppose it doesn't." She held out the bottle of tequila to Clara.

Clara sighed to herself, annoyed at the situation of the Doctor being away and her not being able to be with Emily.

Bonnie shook her head, laughing. "I do not do tequila. Also not in the mood. So now the Doctor is... indisposed... I have got you all to myself."

"So annoying," Clara groaned in frustration.

Emily leant back against the wall in the right, watching Bonnie with wide eyes.

Bonnie sighed as she placed her right hand on Emily's left cheek.

"Get your hand off her!" Clara snapped at the screen.

"One day I'll start seeing someone who can just walk past a fez without putting it on," Bonnie indicated the hat Emily was wearing as she stroked her cheek.

"I told you to get your hands off- Hang on!" Clara said, realising something. "You can hear me. You just repeated something word for word i said. That means, you can hear me! That means..." Clara paused, "I can get something out!"


	27. Chapter 27

"Why is there a fancy dress box in the TARDIS?" asked Emily, laughing.

"The Doctor likes to dress up sometimes," Clara laughed, lifting the fez off Emily's head deliberately and tossing it casually to her left, pulling herself closer. "His Marylin Monroe is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life."

"I liked the hat," Emilly said half heartedly. "So," she said, wrapping her arms around Clara's waist whilst still holding the tequila bottle, "the Doctor is, what was it you said?"

"Indisposed," Bonnie smirked back at her.

"Yes," Emily nodded to herself, "indisposed... So you should probably invite me in," Emily indicated the door to Clara's bedroom on the right with her head. "Or..."

"Or...?" Clara asked.

"Or... feels like a lot of effort to move," Emily looked side to side cheekily, putting her hands on Clara's hips, moving her left hand towards the button on the front of Clara's jeans, "we could just..."

"Ooh... sounds a bit risky, for me" Clara said blankly, smiling one sidedly, not stopping Emily, moving her hand to the back of Emily's neck.

"Imagine the Doctor's face," Emily laughed, "if he found out." She moved to in to kiss Clara when she was interrupted buy a loud noise.

Clara suddenly yelped in pain, taking her hand off the back of Emily's neck just as their lips were about to meet. "Ow... what the hell?"

"What?" Emily asked, concerned. "What's happened?"

Clara rubbed her right hand. "I think something bit me!" she grimaced.

"Something bit you?" Emily repeated, inspecting Clara's hand. "What the fuck?"

"Bitch," Clara hissed under her breath, glaring quickly to her right, shaking out her hand vigorously.

"Alright," Emily creased her eyebrows, laughing a little, "it wasn't me that fucking bit you!" She took a large swig from the bottle of tequila as Clara inspected her hand.

"Yes, I know," Clara replied, smiling back at her. "Anyway... Where were we?"

Emily stooped to drop the bottle of tequila on the floor, pressing Clara up against the wall of the corridor. She went directly in for a kiss, managing to catch her lips.

Clara responded, pulling away after thirty seconds, a confused look on her face.

"What?" Emily asked, brushing a stray piece of Clara's hair off her face with her right hand. "Why are you being weird? Just shut up..." Emily pressed her lips against Clara's briefly, "and fucking kiss me."

Clara's confused expression turned into a wide smirk before Emily's eyes as she swung Emily around and pinned her roughly to the wall. "Be quiet," Clara said as she pressed her body in. "I think I'm going to enjoy this." She kissed Emily forcibly enough to elicit a small moan.

Emily grinned to herself, enjoying Clara's tone and the unexpected aggressive kiss. She felt Clara bite her lip and the skin break, leaving a metallic taste on her tongue.

Clara suddenly put her hand to her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "What..." She half collapsed, doubled over.

"Fuck's sake," Emily swore underneath her breath.

"Headache," Clara forced out, "feels like someone..." she gritted her teeth "has set off... a fire alarm... inside my head."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Emily said, pulling away. "I'm drunk, the Doctor is away for the evening and you keep on getting bitten, being weird or having a," she put on a patronising voice, "a headache."

"There is nothing wrong with me," Clara snapped, pushing herself back towards Emily and darting directly for a kiss.

"There clearly is," Emily said, nodding turning her head away. "I'm drunk," she continued, wrestling herself out of Clara's, "I'm tired, maybe we should just leave it for tonight, I am not in the mood for any of this fucking shit. Let me out, I'll round up the others and come and see me when you've sorted yourself out."

"Give me a minute," Clara said.

"No, do you know what? Forget it. I will see you tomorrow," Emily walked away loudly towards the console room.


	28. Chapter 28

Clara sat on the bed with her feet up, reading a copy of 'Pride And Prejudice'. A candle was lit on the bedside table, discarded after setting off the smoke alarm in the room.

Bonnie's face appeared on the picture frame opposite, Clara caught it out of the corner of her eye but did not make any attempt to register the change.

Bonnie knocked the glass with her right fist angrily. "What the hell are you doing?" Bonnie sneered at her viciously.

"Smooth," Clara said wryly, turning the page of her book to continue.

"What?" Bonnie snapped.

"That was very... smooth," Clara said with a slight grin. "I couldn't have done it better myself." Clara momentarily looked away from the book. "Actually I probably couldn't," she reflected, "I hope you realise how difficult that it is going to be to sort that out."

"To sort what out?" Bonnie said sternly.

"The argument you've just had," Clara continued reading.

"That was not an argument. She said she would see me tomorrow," Bonnie replied, folding her arms, "seems like a transparent enough situation to me."

"Keep telling yourself that," Clara said sarcastically. She looked up at Bonnie and raised her eyebrows.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at Clara, staring her out. "Why did you bite me?"

"Why do you think?" Clara put down the book on the bed to her left, blew out the candle and stood up. "I told you if you laid a finger on her I would kill you," Clara said, "but then I thought to myself, why do that when I can make her angry with you? This is going to be ten times worse, trust me. She is very good at arguing."

Bonnie regained silent for a minute.

"Not quite so easy to get my," Clara paused to think, "what was it you called her? Oh yes, my pathetic little girlfriend to sleep with you, is it? Although, she's actually not any of those things-"

"You can end this," Bonnie sneered.

"She knows you are not me," Clara nodded. "I tried to tell you she would know the difference but you would not listen."

"I will kill her," Bonnie said, unblinking.

"No you won't. You'd probably have to get her to stay with you to do that," Clara observed, "just saying."

"Tell me how to fly this thing," Bonnie demanded. "And she lives."

"No," Clara said blankly.

"Well then, I'm going to look forward to hearing her scream," Bonnie smirked.

Clara folded her arms unblinking. "Good luck. Again, I would reiterate the point of her actually seeing you for that to happen. Also," Clara turned away to pace towards the bed, saying wryly, "that's usually me."

"You're probably not killing her correctly," Bonnie retorted.

"Of course," Clara answered sarcastically. "I'm not killing her right," saying slowly, "that's why she isn't screaming."

"I enjoyed the minimal contact I did have with her," Bonnie said, touching her lips with her right index finger. "Maybe I will keep her alive and see what she can actually do. She does seem a little young for you, though."

Clara bit her tongue, trying not to rise to Bonnie's words, inwardly very upset. She kept her back to the picture frame. "Leave her alone."

"Tell me how to drive the TARDIS."

"No," Clara sighed, holding the bridge of her nose, knowing any effort was futile.

"Well then," Bonnie sneered, grinning widely at her. "I hope you enjoy your stay. I'll be back for you later after I've finished."

Clara spun around to see the picture frame blank. She picked up a drinking glass on the bedside table next to her and threw it squarely at the frame, knocking it from the wall.


	29. Chapter 29

Emily walked down the corridor, annoyed, wiping a slowly emerging tear from her right eye with the side of her left hand.

She went directly to the deserted console room, not stopping until she reached the exit door, intent on going back to her dorm room, downing a large measure of vodka and passing out for the rest of the evening.

Emily placed her hand on the gold handle to her right to open the door, finding it not moving.

"Fuck's sake!" she shouted loudly. "All I want to do is get to fuck out of this," she said, trailing off, "fucking place." She kicked the door hard with her right foot. "Let me out! Let me out you fucking bitch!" She looked up to the ceiling, rattling the door violently.

Emily turned around and made her way to the central console. She began stabbing at random buttons with her right index finger, hoping to find a way out, getting increasingly more frustrated as there appeared to be nothing happening other than the occasional bleep.

"Just," she said, twisting a dial, "fucking," she flipped a switch, "let me out!" She hit one of the video screens hard enough to leave a fault on the image and crack the glass. "Shit," she gasped before smiling a little, continuing her assault on the levers and buttons in front of her.

Something caught Emily's eye in the corridor she had emerged from, as if a figure had quickly darted past. Hurried footsteps echoed into the distance.

"Clara?" Emily called out as she moved away from the console. "Clara? Is that you?"

The corridor remained empty, still and silent as it had been.

"Hello?" Emily called out, carefully walking down the small ramp. "Doctor?" she offered to the surroundings. "Are you there? Can you let me out? I'm trying to storm off because Clara is pissing me the fuck off but I can't get the door-"

A loud clatter out of Emily's line of sight interrupted her speech. She shifted herself to the corner covering the entrance to the corridor, placing her back to the wall. Emily edged forward to take a glance down the walkway. It was empty.

"Jen? Sarah?" Emily said quietly. "Will! I am not in the mood for any of your fucking shit you guys." Emily turned right into the deserted corridor. "Fuck's sake!"

A light began flickering fifty metres down the wire strewn passage, stopping as she managed to focus her eyes on the location.

Emily rubbed her eyes, tired, drunk and annoyed. "What the fuck is going on?" she announced to the ceiling, turning around to go back to the console room.

The light began flickering again, this time more noticeably, causing Emily to return her eyes to further down the deserted corridor. She turned away from the lights twice to realise it was definitely not a coincidence.

"Fuck's sake," Emily muttered under her breath, going along with the signal, putting her hands into the front pocket of her jeans as she navigated through the gaps in the wires on the floor. "This fucking place," she paced forward, "why do I always find the fucked up fucking weird ones with the weird fucking friends?"

Appearing in the distance was a ladder that led up to the ceiling, resting next to a substantial reel of cables. She vaguely remembered The Doctor mentioning something about the first floor when they had been having breakfast.

Emily exhaled loudly, annoyed. She approached the stack of wires, looking at a leather jacket thrown casually on the top. "Hang on," Emily paused, picking up the coat as she realised she recognised it. "This is..." she trailed off, her eyes automatically moving upwards. "Clara? Are you there?"

At the top of the ladder it was pitch black through the hole in the ceiling. A small flash of light appeared above, as if a photo had been taken.

"Really?" Emily groaned under her breath. It was clear she was being directed to go up the ladder. She inspected the surroundings a few times before cautiously climbing up. "I didn't sign up for the Crystal fucking Maze when I drunkenly broke in here," she muttered.

Emily screwed up her face as she saw a damp tunnel spread out in front of her as she hopped off the ladder at the top.

"Clara?" Emily called out quietly. "Doctor? Where the fuck are you?" She took in a deep breath and began to pace down into the dark tunnel, a feint red light coming from around a corner in the distance. Her footsteps echoed on the wet cave-like walls.

After a short distance Emily found herself in a larger space, dripping wet red tentacles hanging from every surface. She saw a large red figure move somewhere to her right and instinctively took cover behind the nearest corner.

"Eurgh," Emily said as her skin touched the jelly-like substance covering the walls. "What the fuck-"

A large creature approached from the left making squelching noises. It was covered in red suckers and disappeared between the tentacles.

"Err..." Emily said to herself, immediately turning around to leave, "no." She began walking when a long shadow was cast on the floor, causing her to abandon her plan. "Shit," she breathed, "shit!" going backwards into the main space, spinning around trying to find another way out, but instead noticing a small pillar she could hide behind on her right. She held her breath.

The creature squelched heavily past, not noticing her. She exhaled in relief, glancing down at the floor to see a set of large boot sized footprints in the greasy surface, next to the tracks of smaller shoes both leading towards a passageway further along. She took a quick glance around to ensure she wasn't being watched and followed the trail.

Emily came to a small area surrounded by several large red oval shapes covered in suckers, each with a frosted circular window on the front. The footprints stopped outside one of the shapes in the far side, she followed them, hoping it would be useful. She stood on tiptoes to peer inside and gasped after realising what it contained.


End file.
